GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jarrett Bush wants to continue his career with the Packers. He hopes to find out soon that the feeling is mutual.
Bush, who just completed his sixth NFL season, is an unrestricted free agent.
"I love it here," Bush said Monday as he and his teammates cleared out their lockers after being eliminated from the playoffs. "I want to be back. I love Green Bay football. I have a house here. I've got my dog here. It's a matter of a phone call.
"Let's get it done."
Bush went undrafted out of Utah State in 2006 and was signed by the Carolina Panthers. However, after he was cut following the preseason, Green Bay signed him and he has been with the Packers ever since.
"Green Bay give me the first opportunity coming out of Carolina," Bush said. "I was a free-agent rookie, wide-eyed, came in here and they kind of showed me the way, showed me the ropes. They gave me my first shot, and that's all I needed was an opportunity coming out and they gave me that. I'm grateful for that. I could never repay them for that."
Bush, who will turn 28 years old before the start of next season, has been one of Green Bay's best special teams players, as well as a cornerback who usually was fourth on the depth chart. But in Sunday's playoff loss to the Giants, Bush was in on all nickel packages on first and second down, indicating that he had passed up second-year cornerback Sam Shields in the minds of the coaching staff.
"Opportunity came and I had to step up and show what I could do," Bush said about playing as the nickel back. "Yesterday I had a great opportunity. I thought I played well."
Bush posted career-highs this season with 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and 26 solo tackles.
"I just started playing well," Bush said when asked how he earned more snaps on defense on first and second down. "I was seeing formations, breaking on the ball, starting developing more as a player and as a person. Just attacking the ball and reading the formations, knowing where they like to go certain downs and certain situations and then going to make a play.
"If you make a play for (the coaches), they're going to put you on the field some way, some how, so we just started rotating."
If Bush is not re-signed by the Packers, he was proud of the way he played for the last six years, including earning a Super Bowl ring last season.
"It's just a matter of picking up the phone," Bush said, referring to Green Bay's front office. "It's as simple as that. The ball's in their court. It's the business side of it. I just play football. I played my heart out. I walked off the field, no regret. I tried to do anything I could for the team."
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