The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a chance to finish the regular season on a high note. After a 3-7 start, the Bucs have won four-straight games and five of their last six to pull their record back to .500 at 7-7.
While quarterback Jameis Winston has been receiving much of the attention lately because of his historic play, the Bucs’ other star this season has been linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who joined the Bucs on a one-year deal in the offseason.
Barrett currently leads the league with 16.5 sacks, which is also tied for the Bucs’ single-season franchise record, along with Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Turns out Sapp reached out to Barrett after the latter tied the record in Sunday’s 5 win over the Lions.
Take a look.
After he tied Warren Sapp’s Buccaneer sack record on Sunday, Shaq Barrett says Sapp reached out to him on Instagram. Sapp’s message: Your work’s not done. Go get it.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) December 18, 2019
While Barrett is only signed through this season, it sounds like both sides are planning on him returning next year. Bruce Arians recently said Barrett “‘ain’t going nowhere,” and now, this update from Scott Smith makes it sound like Barrett is planning on returning, too.
Pro Bowl OLB Shaq Barrett says he’s planning as if he’ll be in Tampa for OTAs next spring. Says the coming effort to sign him to a new deal is “the Bucs to lose. And I don’t think they’re going to lose it.”
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) December 18, 2019
The Bucs better not lose it. Barrett is a young athletic linebacker who is flourishing under Todd Bowles. Both Barrett and Devin White could anchor this defense for years to come.
That’d be good news for the Bucs, and bad news for the rest of the league.
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