Heading into free agency this year, many experts picked the Bengals as the most likely destination for former Raiders running back, Michael Bush. While the team had the first visit with Bush, league interest has really picked up on the former Louisville product. He is on his way to visit the Bears and there is strong interest from the Seahawks.
According to NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, the Jets are also being mentioned as possible suitors for the running back's services.
At least four teams are in contention for free-agent running back Michael Bush, according to league sources.
Bush has visited the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears. The Seattle Seahawks (where his former head coach in Oakland, Tom Cable, is the offensive line coach) would like to bring him in for a visit but it has not been finalized yet. Several other teams are in discussions with him as well, according to sources.
The New York Jets have been exploring the market for a running back. Bush, who got a feature role last season after Darren McFadden suffered a foot injury, has spent his entire career with the Raiders.
The market for running backs and linebackers has been particularly slow and conservative this offseason.
It's possible that the Bengals are still the frontrunners to land Bush. They have the most cap space to land him and the city of Cincinnati is near to the area where Bush grew up and played football. Bush could be testing other waters to drive up his value to the Bengals. He could also never make another visit if the Bengals make a lucrative enough offer. Either way, it seems that Bush's best opportunity to be anything that resembles a featured back would be in Cincinnati.
Free agency is always a tricky thing--sometimes the team that gets the first visit with a player has the upper hand, while other times they are just used as leverage. We'll see how this plays out and will be sure to update you on the situation as we hear it.