Shaq Barrett stays with Bucs on 4-year, $72 million deal

By
The Associated Press
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<p>TAMPA, Fla. &mdash; Linebacker Shaquil Barrett has agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are aren’t wasting time doing whatever’s necessary to retain key components of their Super Bowl-winning roster.</p>
<p>Barrett has been one of the NFL’s top pass rushers over the past two seasons and earned $15.8 million in 2020, when he played under the franchise tag after leading the league with 19½ sacks in 2019.</p>
<p>The 28-year-old’s new deal — facilitated by Tom Brady signing an extension that cleared $19 million in salary cap space — includes $36 million guaranteed, agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed Monday.</p>
<p>It’s the fourth move general manager Jason Licht and coach Bruce Arians have made in a week to ensure key players on the verge of becoming unrestricted free agents would not wind up testing their worth on the open market.</p>
<p>The team placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin and signed linebacker Lavonte David to a salary-cap friendly, two-year deal worth up to $25 million before Brady agreed to an extension that will keep the seven-time Super Bowl champion under contract through 2022.</p>
<p>Tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, wide receiver Antonio Brown, running back Leonard Fournette and kicker Ryan Succop are among other players the Bucs would like to retain.</p>
<p>Re-signing Barrett, however, was by far the top priority this winter. He followed his 2019 breakthrough season with eight regular-season sacks in 2020 last season and four more during Tampa Bay’s postseason run — three in the NFC championship game and one in the Super Bowl.</p>
<p>Barrett spent the first five seasons of his career primarily as a backup with the Denver Broncos. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Tampa Bay in free agency in 2019 and has 27½ sacks in 31 regular-season games since joining the Bucs.</p>
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