Shaq Barrett chose his family over football and deserves to be celebrated
By Brad Smith
There's no doubt that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a solid offseason. They re-signed their top free agents, added talent through free agency and the draft, and seem to have put together a team capable of making another run in the playoffs.
It wasn't a perfect offseason, though.
Shaq Barrett was an early cap casualty, as Tampa Bay cut him in March to save $26.8 million in cap space. Later this spring, Barrett signed a one-year deal worth up to $9 million, and projected to slot in as one of the Dolphins' starting outside linebackers. With Miami releasing Emmanuel Ogbah and losing Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency, Barrett was set to play a major role in Miami's defense.
As it turns out, the Dolphins will have to find another option at outside linebacker for this season.
Shaq Barrett announces retirement just months after leaving Buccaneers
On Saturday, Barrett announced his retirement from the NFL via an Instagram post, hanging up the cleats after nine seasons in the league.
"I'm ready to shift my full focus to my wife and kids and helping them realize their dreams," Barrett wrote as part of an Instagram post. "I've been thinking about this for a while and the decision has never been more clear then it is right now."
Barrett, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State, had a quietly productive nine-year campaign in the NFL with Denver and Tampa Bay. In 2019, Barrett broke out on the Bucs' defense, recording 58 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, a league-leading 19.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and six forced fumbles in 16 starts, and earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro Second Team nods, while finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
The following offseason, Barrett signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension with Tampa Bay, and played a key role in the Bucs' Super Bowl run in 2020, posting a team-high eight sacks and 58 tackles. During his next four years in Tampa Bay, Barrett posted 197 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 53 quarterback hits, 25.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, and nine forced fumbles in 54 starts, while earning his second Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
In April of 2023, Barrett and his family suffered a devastating tragedy when his two-year-old Daughter, Arrayah, drowned in the family's pool. Barrett returned to the Bucs and had a powerful moment in Week 2 when he made a game-clinching play against the Bears -- a moment he dedicated to his late daughter.
Barrett's decision to choose his family over football might be surprising to some, but Buccaneers fans saw first-hand what he went through. Retiring is never an easy decision to make, but with another child on the way, Barrett's walking away from football for his family deserves to be celebrated.
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