Buccaneers to release Shaq Barrett, according to report

Highlights

• According to reports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to release Pro Bowl edge rusher Shaquil Barrett due to his large cap hit.
• Barrett’s production has dipped in recent years, though he played the entire 2023 season after recovering from an Achilles injury.
• Tampa Bay faces challenges in retaining all of their stars, including Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, due to limited cap space.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing a pivotal offseason, as quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans are both set to hit free agency.

Ahead of their attempt to re-sign those point-producing stars, the team has released Pro Bowl edge rusher Shaquil Barrett, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Barrett’s production has taken a nosedive in recent years, though he was an instrumental piece of the Bucs’ 2020 team which won Super Bowl 55. After leading the league with 19.5 sacks in 2019, Barrett had four sacks in four games in Tampa Bay’s march to the Lombardi Trophy the next year.

The veteran edge rusher will now have time ahead of free agency to evaluate potential destinations for the next chapter of his career. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers will try to perform some cap gymnastics to get their roster ready for the 2024 season.

Barrett played full 2023 slate despite coming off Achilles tear

Former Second-Team All-Pro has two double-digit sack seasons on his résumé

Barrett suffered a torn Achilles in October 2022, which ended his eighth NFL season after just eight games. He returned at the start of this past season, playing 16 games as well as both of the Buccaneers’ playoff matchups.

His production has been down since his second Pro Bowl campaign in 2021, and it appears the 31-year-old may be nearing the final years of his career.

Barrett also played this past season following the tragic death of his daughter, Arrayah, on April 30, 2023. Though introspective and growing from the tragic circumstances, Barrett also admitted to the difficulty of playing with a heavy heart:

It doesn’t get any easier. It’s just me being busy and keeping my mind off of it for a little bit. It’s just tough – it’s always going to be tough.

The edge rusher is well-liked among his teammates, and he was voted by the Bucs’ locker room as the team’s 2023 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. His production may be waning as he exits his prime, but Barrett will appeal to a number of teams due to his professionalism and playoff résumé.

Meanwhile, the Bucs entered the day with over $48.1 million in cap space, which will increase once Barrett’s departure is final (the move will come in the form of a post-June 1 release, which will allow the team to spread his $26.7 million dead cap figure across two seasons).

Other cost-cutting maneuvers are likely on the table for the franchise as well, since all of Mayfield, Evans, and safety Antoine Winfield need new contracts this offseason. Winfield is likely to receive the franchise tag, though Evans and the team are reportedly “far apart” in negotiations, and the veteran wideout is likely to have many suitors on the open market.

Mayfield is coming off the best season of his career too, and with quarterback contracts skyrocketing, he’ll consume a large percentage of Tampa Bay’s available cap sheet.

Barrett was an important piece of Buccaneers history, and his time with the organization will surely be remembered fondly by fans.

Source: Adam Schefter

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all salary info courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.