Michael Bush is heading to Chicago.
Bush, a free agent running back who has played his entire career with the Raiders, has agreed to terms on a deal with the Bears. A league source tells PFT’s Mike Florio that the deal is a four-year, $14 million contract with $7 million guaranteed. At an average of $3.5 million a year, that’s the best deal a free-agent running back has received this year.
That also shows that the market just isn’t very good for running backs these days. Bush did well for himself relative to the overall running back market, but the deal isn’t much better than a couple of kickers, Olindo Mare and Ryan Longwell, signed last year: Both got $12 million over four years.
So the Bears get Bush without breaking the bank, and that’s a bad sign for Matt Forte on multiple fronts: Bush’s presence means Chicago won’t be desperate to get Forte in the fold, and the overall running back market means Forte can’t expect much out of a long-term deal. That’s life for running backs in the NFL these days.