The final nail has been pounded into the coffin.
Inside lies former Green Bay Packers cornerback and special teams maven Jarrett Bush. The hammer, wielded by none other than the heavy hand of Ted Thompson.
The Packers opened their rookie orientation camp today and those rookies needed some numbers to wear. No. 24 is now the jersey number of rookie second-round pick Quintin Rollins, who also happens to be a cornerback.
The Packers showed no interest in bringing Bush back when he became a free agent after the season, so we suspected it would come to this. Now we know.
Jarrett Bush’s career as a Green Bay Packer is over.
Why are we romanticizing a career backup?
That’s easy.
We love Jarrett Bush, primarily because we used to hate Jarrett Bush.
When Bush came into the league, he was awful. We eviscerated him more than once in this very space. We called for his head. We denounced his ability.
Yet, somehow he stayed around. Like a fucking cockroach.
He remained a liability in coverage and mistake-prone on special teams. Bush was a truly maddening individual.
Until he wasn’t.
Sometime around 2010, Bush got good. Not great. Not starting-caliber. But Bush became a Pro Bowl-caliber special teams player and a serviceable backup cornerback.
In 2011, he had his best season, with 30 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions. His biggest play of that season was picking off Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl.
By most accounts, Bush achieved what he did through no other means than working harder than everyone else.
And that, we appreciate.
That, is why we love Jerry Bush.
And it’s a sad day knowing he will no longer be a member of the Green Bay Packers.