Rafael Bush (born May 12, 1987) is a former American football safety who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at South Carolina State and was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He has also played for the Denver Broncos,

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, New Orleans Saints, and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

After going undrafted in the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

, Bush signed with the

on April 26, 2010. He was released on September 4, 2010 and signed to the Falcons'

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. The team promoted him to the active roster on December 29, 2010. He was released during final cuts on September 3, 2011, but re-signed to the practice squad the following day.

Denver Broncos

On October 17, 2011, Bush was signed away from the Falcons' practice squad by the Denver Broncos.

New Orleans Saints

On September 1, 2012, Bush was signed by the New Orleans Saints. Bush was noted for wearing #25 with the team, which was notably worn by Reggie Bush during the latter's tenure with the team. Bush was a restricted free agent after the 2013 season, and he signed an offer sheet with the Falcons that would have returned him to Atlanta for reported compensation of about $4.5 million for two years. However, on April 7, 2014, the Saints exercised their right to match the Falcons' offer and bring Bush back to New Orleans. During the 2015 season, he played in the Saints' season opener at Arizona before being placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season at the recommendation of Dr. Charlie Sommerfeld.

Detroit Lions

On March 12, 2016, the

signed Bush to a one-year contract. In Week 6 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

, Bush made his first interception as a Lion. The Rams were trailing by 3 in the two minute warning of the 4th quarter, and Bush intercepted

Case Keenum Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing ...

, which sealed the victory for the Lions. Bush made his first career touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. He picked up a tipped ball, and returned it for 39 yards and a touchdown. Bush's interception was first in the video ''Top 10 Most Athletic Plays of Week 11'' on NFL.com.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On March 30, 2017, Bush signed with the Saints. He recorded 23 tackles during the year.

Buffalo Bills

On March 14, 2018, Bush signed a two year, $4.5 million contract with the

. On July 19, 2019, Bush announced his retirement from the NFL.

NFL statistics

References

External links

*
New Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Rafael 1987 births Living people American football safeties People from Williston, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina South Carolina State Bulldogs football players Atlanta Falcons players Denver Broncos players New Orleans Saints players Detroit Lions players Buffalo Bills players