One of the breakout stars from this past season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed the franchise tag on pass rusher Shaq Barrett, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Barrett enjoyed a career year in his first season with the Bucs in 2019.
Bucs placed franchise tag on Shaq Barrett, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020
After five relatively slow seasons with the Denver Broncos, Shaq Barrett erupted with Tampa Bay last year. Barrett paced the entire league in sacks with 19.5 and was named to his first Pro-Bowl.
Now, Barrett will play under the franchise tag next season for the Buccaneers. Barrett has already expressed that he would love to stay in Tampa Bay long-term, and the fit is obviously there for his productivity to skyrocket like it did in 2019.
The only qualms regarding Barrett likely come from Tampa Bay’s end. After a slow start to his career with Denver, it remains to be seen whether Barrett will be able to sustain the same type of pressure he generated this past season. If Barrett can even come close to replicating the numbers he put up last season, the Colorado State product could reset the entire market for pass rushers next season when he gets his long-term deal.
