Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing Shaquil Barrett after a brutal injury derailed the last two seasons of his career
It's not much of a surprise because a lot of people saw this coming. Regardless, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing Pro Bowl pass rusher, Shaquil Barrett.Barrett has been huge for the Bucs ever since they signed him back in 2019. He led the NFL in sacks that year with 19.5 and then proceeded to […]
It's not much of a surprise because a lot of people saw this coming. Regardless, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing Pro Bowl pass rusher, Shaquil Barrett.
Barrett has been huge for the Bucs ever since they signed him back in 2019. He led the NFL in sacks that year with 19.5 and then proceeded to put up 18.0 combined sacks over the next two seasons. But, an unfortunate Achilles injury cost him nine games in 2022 and he spent most of 2023 bouncing back and regaining his form. He couldn't get there, though, and recorded just 4.5 sacks.
What does this mean for the Bucs' salary cap?
It's tough to officially put a number on things, because Barrett was due a $15.04 million roster bonus in March. The release wipes that off the books, but the number was already factored into Over The Cap's and Spotrac's evaluations.
Per Fox Sports' Greg Auman, the move will be designated as a post-June 1 release, which means the Bucs will spread Barrett's dead money over the next two years. Right now, with the option bonus included in the eval, the Bucs should save $4,923,882 in 2024, but Barrett will still account for more than $17 million in 2025.
It's unclear how the deferred option bonus and roster bonuses affect these numbers, but we will provide any update once we can.
It doesn't sound like the door is closed, however
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles gave an interesting quote on NFL Network's Good Morning Football Tuesday morning, leaving the door open for a potential reunion down the line.
One only has to go back to last year for a concrete example. The Bucs waited until late in the year to reunite with veteran defensive lineman Will Gholston and he played the full 2023 season in Tampa.
It's been a rough year for Barrett and his family. If a reunion in Tampa Bay doesn't happen, hopefully he catches on somewhere and is able to recapture the magic we saw from 2019-2021.
