Source: Ex-Pro Bowl LB Barrett returning to Bucs

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are re-signing former Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

Barrett will forgo the practice squad and immediately sign to the 53-man roster, pending a physical, according to a source.

Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019, was waived by the Miami Dolphins from their reserve/retired list earlier this week and cleared waivers Friday. Barrett did not play for the Dolphins, who signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million as a free agent in March. That deal came after his release by the Bucs, a move done strictly to free up salary-cap space.

Appearing on the “Up and Adams” podcast in August, Barrett said there was a “perfect, perfect scenario” he could see himself coming out of retirement for.

“I won’t do it for any other scenario or any other team or anything like that,” Barrett told Adams then. “I have a lot of history down there. All that stuff that happened with my daughter and stuff, how they came through for the family. … It just meant so much to me. Tampa got a special place in my heart.”

Barrett was referring to the April 2023 death of his daughter Arrayah, which coincided with his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in 2022. One of the team’s most memorable moments in 2023 was when Barrett intercepted a pass from Justin Fields and returned it for a touchdown — the first and only pick-six of his career — to seal a 27-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Barrett pointed at the sky and dedicated the play to Arrayah, a moment several within the Bucs organization said was a highlight of their season.

General manager Jason Licht said at the time of Barrett’s release that he “did not want to make that call,” but that they’d leave the door open for a possible return because of how highly they thought of Barrett as a person and a player.

With two games to go in 2024, the Bucs still have a shot at making the playoffs for the fifth straight season, but they’ll need the Atlanta Falcons — who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker — to lose one of their remaining games and the Bucs will likely need to win out.

The Bucs have not gotten the sack production they’d hoped for from their outside linebackers in 2024. Anthony Nelson currently leads the group with 3.0. The majority of their production has come from inside, with defensive tackle Calijah Kancey notching 6.5 so far this season, fellow defensive tackle Vita Vea 6.0 and inside linebacker Lavonte David 5.5. In Barrett’s final season with the Bucs, he registered 4.5 sacks and 52 combined tackles, including 33 solo.

News of Barrett re-signing with the Bucs was first reported by Pewter Report.