The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season ended with a Jameis Winston pick-six (surprise, surprise) in an overtime loss Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons. The Bucs finish the season at 7-9, an improvement over their 5-11 record from the past two seasons.
The Bucs now head into an offseason needing to address a number of issues, primarily, how they can retain linebacker Shaq Barrett, who finished the season with 19.5 sacks after collecting three in yesterday’s loss to the Falcons.
Barrett entered yesterday’s game with 16.5 sacks, which was tied with Warren Sapp (2000) for the single-season franchise record. His three-sack performance shattered that mark, something nobody could’ve predicted when Barrett signed with the Bucs on a one-year deal in the offseason.
Now a pending free agent, Barrett has made it clear where he wants to be next year.
Shaq Barrett says he “a hundred percent” wants to remain with the Buccaneers.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) December 29, 2019
Why wouldn’t Barrett want to stay in Tampa? He’s thrived under defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and has a chance to be a cornerstone of this defense alongside Devin White. Plus, Barrett has said how much he and his family hate moving.
It seems clear that the Bucs want Barrett back, too. The only question now is how much it will ultimately cost the team to keep him around for the long term.
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