Shaq Barrett drops major hint about coming out of retirement for Bucs

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut down their roster this week, a former Bucs fan favorite sat down with NFL analyst Kay Adams and had a discussion that may or may not impact the roster, as it currently stands.

Among many topics, Barrett and Adams had a chance to discuss retirement life and, of course, she had to ask him about whether or not there was a chance he'd come back and play once more. After all, Barrett is still only 31 years old and admitted he could still play (at a high level) if he wanted to.

At first, Barrett wasn't going to drop any details about the "perfect scenario" for him to come out of retirement. But, just a few moments later, Adams was able to squeeze the details out of him.

Barrett mentioned that there was a location, geographically, that made the most sense. Eventually, Adams asked him if he had played in this specific location previously, to which Barrett acknowledged he did.

At that moment, Adams knew Barrett was talking about the Bucs. It was far too obvious. The smile on his face couldn't hide the truth, and Bucs fans know it. Of course he'd come back to Tampa and only Tampa. Why wouldn't he?

Shaq Barrett wouldn't come out of retirement for any other reason than to help the Bucs

We've seen recent examples of how well the Buccaneers organization is run. Baker Mayfield returned because the Bucs were not only willing to pay him, but he appreciated the way they treated him and the culture within the building.

Mike Evans acknowledged that his wife loved it in Tampa, so of course he was willing to return to the Bucs and continue what he started.

Barrett, of course, spent five seasons with the Buccaneers, two of which ended up in Pro Bowl campaigns. There was no more significant time, during his career with the Bucs, though, than the weeks and months following the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Arrayah.

After she had drowned last year, the Buccaneers organization supported Barrett and his family in any way they could. For that reason, he'd come out of retirement for the Bucs. In fact, Barrett said he'd do anything for the Bucs.

"I just have a lot of history down there ... all the stuff that happened with my daughter, and how they came through for the family.

"I had like two years left on my contract, and I told my wife, 'Yeah, Tampa, I'd do anything for them. I'd take pay cuts for Tampa, for the way showed up for my family,'" he told Adams.

As it turns out, the love was shared all around between Barrett and the Bucs. Even when the team opted to release him this past offseason, Jason Licht had a hard time with the decision and said it was Barrett who consoled him, not the other way around:

“He actually calmed me down on the call. He was… how much the [Bucs] organization meant to him, what we’ve done for him. When it really should have been the other way around.”

So, is Barrett coming out of retirement anytime soon? We aren't sure, exactly. But, what we do know is, he would come out of retirement for one and only one team: the Bucs.

"I won't do it for any other scenario, or any other team," Barrett said.