Buccaneers’ $78 Million All-Pro Makes Surprise Career Announcement

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in desperate need of competent edge rushers. Old ones. Young ones. Doesn’t matter. There is no position on the roster that needs more of an upgrade.

That’s why a surprise announcement by one of their all-time greats could be a big benefit to them in 2025 after JoeBucsFan.com broke the news that former NFL All-Pro Shaquil Barrett would return for another season after a conversation with Barrett’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

“(Barrett) is definitely going to play this year,” Rosenhaus said.

Barrett was released by the Buccaneers in a salary cap move in March 2024 and signed a 1-year, $7 million contract with the Miami Dolphins but decided to retire just days before training camp.

Barrett came out of retirement in December. He was released by the Dolphins and back with the Buccaneers for the regular season finale and an NFC Wild Card Round loss to the Washington Commanders.

At the NFL scouting combine, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht underlined the franchise’s feelings about Barrett.

“We’ll never close the door on Shaq,” Licht told Pro Football Talk. “We’ll see where that goes. We never close the door on Shaq.”

With that in mind, Barrett could very well come back on a team friendly deal, which in this case would be the veteran’s minimum of a 1-year, $1.255 million contract for 2025.

Barrett One of NFL’s Elite Edge Rushers in 2010s

It wasn’t that long ago that Barrett was one of the NFL’s elite edge rushers.

He led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019 with the Buccaneers and signed a 4-year, $68 million contract  in March 2021. Barrett has racked up $78.2 million in career earnings through his first 11 seasons.

At Colorado State, Barrett was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 after he finished the season with 12.0 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss.

Barrett spent 2014 on the Denver Broncos practice squad and active roster but didn’t play any games as an undrafted free agent then made the opening day roster and started 6 games in 2015, including a Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers.

Barrett signed a 1-year, $5 million contract with the Buccaneers in 2019 and put together one of the greatest seasons for a pass rusher in NFL history when he led the league with 19.5 sacks on the way to earning NFL All-Pro honors.

Barrett played on the franchise tag for Tampa Bay in 2020 and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl win before signing his mega-contract before the 2021 season.

Barrett, who will turn 33 years old in November, has 59 career sacks and 22 forced fumbles, along with Tampa Bay franchise records for single-season sacks, single game sacks (4) and single game forced fumbles (2).

Buccaneers Could Draft Edge Rusher in First Round

Pro Football Talk’s Connor Rogers predicts the Buccaneers will use their first round pick (No. 19 overall) on Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in PFT’s latest mock draft.

In 2024, Ezeiruaku was second in the nation with 16.5 sacks and third in the nation with 20 TFL.

“Todd Bowles desperately needs another pure pass rusher in this defense and there weren’t many more productive than Ezeiruaku this year,” Rogers wrote.