According to Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers have placed the franchise tag on LB Shaq Barrett.
The Buccaneers seem to have been trending in this direction for some time, so this doesn’t come as a big surprise.
Barrett broke out and led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019 and now gets the chance to try and follow that up for Tampa Bay in 2020 and potentially beyond as the two sides continue to work on a long-term deal.
The franchise tag would cost the Buccaneers around $17 million fully guaranteed for the 2020 season should they use it on Barrett.
Barrett, 27, signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 2014. He was waived coming out of the preseason and re-signed to Denver’s practice squad.
After bouncing back and forth between the practice squad and active roster, Barrett landed on the active roster at the end of his rookie year. Barrett signed with the Buccaneers as an unrestricted free agent in 2019 to a one-year, $4 million deal.
In 2019, Barrett appeared in all 16 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 58 total tackles, 19.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception and two pass defenses. He was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 25 edge defender out of 107 qualifying players.
We had him included in our Top 100 – 2020 Free Agents list.
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