Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaq Barrett made it clear Thursday that his return from retirement is not just a short-term move. Barrett expressed his desire to extend his playing career, targeting an additional two to three years in the league.
Barrett disclosed that he was courted by the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, the NFC’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, before ultimately deciding to rejoin the Buccaneers.
Via ESPN’s Jenna Laine, “This is a year thing and then offseason hit it really hard and be probably the best I’ve been in a long time for next year.”
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Barrett is cleared to play and could potentially make his return as early as Week 18, when the Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints. However, coach Todd Bowles is still assessing Barrett’s readiness.
“There’s retention on the old stuff, but he has a lot of new stuff to learn,” Bowles said via ESPN’s JennaLaine. “He ran pretty [well]. Over the weekend, he ran pretty [well]. You don’t know until you put the helmet and pads on.”
Inside linebackers coach and passing game coordinator Larry Foote stated,
“Well, he’s already having impact. I’ve been joking with the outside linebackers, ‘Shaq back, and you guys lit up the sack board last week.’ But it’s just good to see him out there, just veteran presences. Young guys are going to learn a lot from him.”
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Although Shaq Barrett has been training for the past month, he admitted that he’s still not prepared to handle a full game’s workload, having taken three months off to recharge.
“Physically I’m feeling good right now and then depending on what the coaches and the trainers recommend, I think I’ll be able to get out there and get a couple plays,” Barrett continued. “I don’t know what they’re thinking right now, but whatever they think I’m on board for.”
Barrett’s time away from football proved to be a refreshing experience, as he rediscovered his enthusiasm for the game. He remained engaged with the Buccaneers by watching their games and staying active in a group chat with his position group.
“If I had played this year originally with the Dolphins, I wasn’t all the way 100 percent in and if you’re not 100 percent in, you’re not going be good to anybody,” Barrett stated. “So that’s why I took the time away, which if I knew I needed time away, I just took time away. I thought I was done with football, but having that time away helped me find a love for the game again and that’s just what helped bring me back.”
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Barrett’s 2024 retirement was a surprising move, coming just months after he signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins. However, the past year has been marked by immense personal struggle for Barrett, who lost his young daughter Arrayah in a tragic accident in April 2023.
“I just spent so much time with my family. Just having all the time, all the holidays, ain’t had to miss anything. It has just been good. I was just ready to get back here.”
Barrett’s return to the Buccaneers is made even sweeter by the team’s impressive offensive display this season. The Bucs’ 28.7 points per game average is a testament to the team’s firepower, ranking fourth in the NFL and third in franchise history.
“So what I was thinking when I was watching: ‘Dang, I would love to play with a offense like we got right now,'” Barrett stated. “Get the points up on the board and then [the opposing offense] has got to try to match and can’t throw quick passes the whole game. So yeah, there’s some opportunities out there that I want to be able to try to take advantage of and [same] as the rest of the guys in the room. But yeah, we need to get as healthy as we can. That’s been a problem for us this year.”
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Barrett continued, “I’m all hands on deck, I’m ready. I’m 100 percent in whatever I need to do to be ready. Whatever they want me to do on Sunday, whatever it is, I’m ready for it. Then I got 100 percent faith in the guys from before and from what I’ve been seeing, watching on Sundays, their capabilities, so I know we going to be able to handle business.”
The Buccaneers can punch their ticket to the playoffs and claim the NFC South crown with a win over the Saints this Sunday.
Information and quotes in this article came from ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
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