Shaquil Barrett has had a successful career in the NFL as an outside linebacker, but after the Miami Dolphins signed him during the offseason, he decided to call it quits.
He had played the previous five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl championship with them, yet they ended up releasing him this offseason.
Barrett reportedly is now returning to the Buccaneers after he decided to unretire, and he will be a part of their 53-man roster, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports.
Some news: Bucs will be signing OLB Shaq Barrett on Saturday, pending a physical. Former Pro Bowl standout comes out of retirement to return to Tampa Bay. (it’s straight to the 53, not practice squad as I originally had)
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 28, 2024
Barrett went undrafted in 2014 out of Colorado State and caught on with the Denver Broncos in the 2015 season, when they won their most recent Vince Lombardi Trophy.
He was mostly a reserve in his first four pro seasons, but he blossomed in a big way when he went to Tampa Bay for the 2019 campaign.
That year, he led the NFL with 19.5 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and two years later, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time.
In 2022, Barrett tore his Achilles, and though he returned last season and started 16 games, he wasn’t quite the force he had been prior to that injury.
This season, Tampa Bay is tied for the best record in the NFC South, but the Atlanta Falcons hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the two-game season series.
The Bucs close out the regular season with home games against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 and the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.
