Shaq Barrett burst onto the scene last season, going from afterthought offseason signing to the 2019 sack leader.
Barrett led the league with 19.5 sacks last year, breaking the Bucs’ single-season franchise record in the process. Throughout the year, Bruce Arians and the Bucs were adamant that they wanted Barrett back with the team in 2020 and beyond, and for what it’s worth, Barrett was just as enthusiastic about remaining in Tampa.
But after being assigned the franchise tag by the team this offseason, many wondered if and when Barrett would sign his tender without the promise of a long-term deal. Well, it seems Barrett will indeed sign, but the sides still seem far apart on a long-term deal.
#Bucs pass-rusher Shaq Barrett is signing his franchise tender and has filed his grievance that he should be tagged as a DE nor LB, per @RosenhausSports.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2020
The two sides are not close on a long-term deal and the hope is to find some common ground on a 1-year deal moving forward. https://t.co/fASck4id4z
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2020
You’ve got to wonder if the Bucs are working on a one-year deal to try and see if Barrett can replicate his 2019 success. He seems like a perfect fit in Todd Bowles’ system, but if they are going to invest big money, long term, they want to make sure they’ll get close to the same production as they did in 2019.
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