The Buccaneers finished 9-8 this past season, first in the AFC South. That allowed Tampa Bay to host a playoff game. Baker Mayfield and his teammates routed the Eagles in the wildcard round, 32-9. Unfortunately, the Bucs lost in the divisional round. Despite that, there was a lot of momentum to build off that season and carry into 2024.
Several important decisions must be made to save the most valued players on their roster. Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans are impending free agents this offseason. That is why Tampa Bay had to make a tough decision and cut veteran LB Shaquil Barrett. He was set to enter the final year of a $68 million extension he signed in 2021. At 31, Barrett will surely be picked up by a team that could use his services.
Shaquil Barrett is out in Tampa Bay after five seasons
The #Bucs are expected to release Shaquil Barrett as a Post-June 1 cut.
• Dead money in 2024: $9.2M
• Dead money in 2025: $17.4M
• Cap savings after 6/1: $4.9M https://t.co/pn5J74w9Sq— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 27, 2024
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Shaquil Barrett was being released by the Buccaneers. He was owed a $15.04 million signing bonus in March. Tampa Bay will have $9.2 million in dead money for the two-time Pro Bowler in 2024. However, releasing Barrett does open up $4.9 million in cap space after June 1st. Moving forward, Tampa Bay will have a void to fill at OLB with Barrett no longer on the team.
Shaquil Barrett started his career with the Denver in 2015 after going undrafted out of Colorado State. The 31-year-old played four seasons with the Broncos. He won a championship in his first season with the team. After his rookie contract was up, Barrett hit free agency and signed with the Bucs. In his first season with Tampa Bay, Barrett had a league-high (19.5) sacks. Next year, Tampa Bay went on to beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl. Barrett’s production fell that season, but he was still part of their championship run.
Buccaneers are releasing LB Shaquil Barrett. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/OlhQ8mPVbj
— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2024
In four of his five seasons with the Buccaneers, Shaquil Barrett played in at least 15 games. His 2022 campaign was cut short due to an Achilles tear. Barrett played in eight games that season and had (3.0) sacks. The two-time Pro Bowler was healthy in 2023, but the production was not there. He started 16 games for the Bucs in 2023 and had (4.5) sacks. That limited production certainly played into his release from Tampa Bay.
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