Bucs EDGE Shaq Barrett Signing Franchise Tender, Filing Grievance To Be Considered DE

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Buccaneer’s edge rusher Shaq Barrett has notified Tampa that he officially has accepted his franchise tender,

However, Barrett plans to file a grievance with NFLPA to be tagged as a defensive end and not an outside linebacker. This amounts to a difference of $2 million.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Buccaneers and Barrett are not close to a long-term deal, but they’re hoping to find some middle ground before next Wednesday’s deadline to negotiate with franchise players. 

Barrett was one of the steals of the offseason last year after signing a one-year “prove-it” deal worth up to $5 million and leading the NFL with 19.5 sacks. But he admitted in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio that the process of securing a contract after holding up his end on the field has been taxing. 

“I mean, there is a little frustration because I did do everything I could do and I tried to make it as easy as possible so that it wouldn’t be like nothing up in the air,” Barrett said. “But I guess I didn’t do as much as I needed to do or as much as I thought I needed to do. I don’t mind having my back against the wall but I do love security a lot more.”

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.