Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 Free Agent Profile: Edge Rusher Shaq Barrett
Without Shaq Barrett storming off of the edge, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers very well way not have won the Super Bowl this past season. In fact, they may not have even made it there.
Stepping up in a big way over the course of the final two games, Barrett would tally four sacks and 21 pressures (according to Pro Football Focus) in the postseason. There were questions regarding Barrett's worth on a long-term deal after posting just eight regular season sacks, but Barrett answered them with his play in crunch time.
Now, the ball is in the Buccaneers court: Will they match the contract demands that Barrett and his agent put on the negotiating table?
To preview the Buccaneers' offseason, we're creating profiles for each impending free agent before the new league year begins. If provided, each player will have a market value projection included via Spotrac.com, along with arguments for and against a potential new contract.
Edge rusher Shaq Barrett
2020 stats (including playoffs): 19 games, 66 tackles, 12 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 98 QB pressures (per Pro Football Focus), two forced fumbles, and three defended passes
Previous contract: One year, $15.8 million (franchise tag)
Spotrac market value: $19.7 million average annual salary
There are several star Buccaneers set to hit the market this offseason, but make no mistake, Shaq Barrett is Tampa Bay's marquee free agent. If anything, Barrett's play in the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl only solidified the fact that he's in for a large payday - if not in Tampa, then somewhere in need of an edge rusher.
Barrett, 28 years old, said so himself in a recent radio hit with Adam Schein on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio.
"I'm most definitely looking forward to getting a long-term deal done. I feel like it's time for me to break the bank now, and I most definitely want to do that to be able to set my family up better and most definitely going to keep producing, so it's not like anything is going to fall off. I still think I got a lot left in the tank ... I ended the season playing the way that I wanted to play. And you can see that I did progress throughout the season, and I'm still progressing ... I do still want to have a great fit for me and a great fit for the family. So whatever that, like, that turns out to be. But I do want, I want to be, I want to be here. I think we got a great team here, a great organization here. So we will definitely go on just to see how it works out and shake up."
After posting 27.5 regular-season sacks over the past two years, spending the 2020 season on the franchise tag, now is Barrett's opportunity to cash in. Barrett has proven himself as one of the NFL's most riotous pass rushers, and he did it when his team needed him most.
In addition to his two-year sack count, Barrett has added 115 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles, and five defended passes during his time with the Buccaneers. He previously compiled 14 sacks ad 24 tackles for loss in five seasons with the Denver Broncos.
The issue, however, is the Buccaneers are limited on salary cap space, currently projected to have $27.8 million to spend according to Spotrac. The Bucs' space was reduced after 11 practice squad members and three free agents signed contracts shortly after the Super Bowl.
With limited space available, crafting a long-term deal that benefits Barrett and simultaneously allows Tampa Bay to retain its other impending free agents won't be an easy task. The cap can be managed with potential contract restructures across the roster - wide receiver Mike Evans has reportedly volunteered - and cap casualty releases, which could take place in the coming weeks.
Did Barrett meet the expectations that his 2019 campaign set in the regular season? No, but his production in the playoffs made up for that and proved pivotal in the Buccaneers' Super Bowl run.
While Tampa Bay aims to repeat as Super Bowl champions next season, Barrett is a fairly irreplaceable piece of the Buccaneers' disruptive pass rush. Chances are, the Buccaneers won't stumble upon a similarly, immediately dynamic outside linebacker in this year's draft, especially with the No. 32 selection.
And if the Bucs can't afford Barrett, they likely won't be able to handle Von Miller, Jadeveon Clowney, or Bud Dupree's looming price tag on the market. Yannick Ngakoue, Leonard Floyd, Olivier Vernon, and Melvin Ingram could be suitable, second-tier free agent replacements for Barrett should he sign elsewhere. J.J. Watt, who Tampa Bay has high odds of landing, would absolutely be worth a look if he doesn't demand a hefty salary.
The goal for Bucs general manager Jason Licht should be to avoid negotiations with these free agents after Barrett inks a contract that makes him a Buccaneer for life. The longer we go without that announcement, however, indicates a steep asking price from Barrett's camp that will require Tampa Bay to shuffle its roster around in order to meet.
