Veteran running back Reggie Bush was released by the Detroit Lions on Wednesday.
Bush signed a four-year contract with the Lions in 2013. He was going to make $3.25 million this year, according to NFL.com. The Lions save $1.7 million in salary cap space by releasing Bush. The Lions would have had a $5,277,941 cap charge this year if they had kept Bush. Their top priority is to keep defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said that Bush’s future was up in the air last week.
"It's not about Reggie Bush. It's about the process of evaluating where you are as a football team," Mayhew said. "We have a bunch of meetings after the season. The coaching staff meets. The scouting department meets together and we evaluate everybody's performance. Part of that, from my standpoint as GM and in terms of setting up our team, is how much of a contribution each guy made to the football team that year. In Reggie's situation, obviously last year he was injured so you have to look at the contribution versus how much you're paying a player. It's not just Reggie. It's every player on the team."
Bush was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2006. He has spent the last two seasons with the Lions. Last year he couldn’t stay healthy and dealt with a lot of injuries. He had 76 carries for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and 40 receptions for 253 yards, according to ESPN. In the playoffs he had eight carries for 37 yards and a touchdown, and three receptions for ten yards.
In addition to Bush, Chris Johnson and DeAngelo Williams have also been released this month.