Bucs are strongly considering placing their franchise tag on pass rusher Shaquil Barrett if the two sides are unable to reach a long-term deal, per league source.
Also notable is this: Placing franchise tag on Barrett means there’d be no franchise tag left for Jameis Winston.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2020
This tweet from Adam Schefter is a big one. While most people assumed LB Shaq Barrett would return to Tampa Bay after his 19.5 sack season in 2019, it remained a question of how the Bucs would retain him. Striking a long-term deal was the obvious solution, but there was always the possibility of using either the franchise or transition tag if the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement.
With this news from Schefter comes the reality that Jameis Winston could very well be out in Tampa Bay. The Bucs are keeping their options open at QB, and Bruce Arians seemed to indicate the team has already made a decision on Winston’s future. You have to believe that if they had Winston in their plans, they wouldn’t be using the franchise tag on Barrett.
Then again, perhaps the Bucs are still looking to negotiate a new deal with Winston and leaking this news is a way of gaining leverage. Who knows right now? But it is definitely going to be an interesting offseason for the Buccaneers. And, it appears, the first domino is about to fall.
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