Report: Bucs' Shaquil Barrett Receives Franchise Tag Ahead of NFL Free Agency

Linebacker Shaquil Barrett is staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bucs used their franchise tag on the league leader in sacks in 2019 . 

Barrett was the bright spot for an otherwise porous defense in Tampa. After betting on himself in free agency last season by agreeing to a one-year, $5 million deal, the linebacker recorded 19.5 sacks, 58 total tackles, six forced fumbles and one interception to cash in with Tampa one year later.

The 27-year-old recorded four multisack games against the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers. That was despite Tampa's defense ranking among the worst in the league—343.9 yards per game (15th) and 28.1 points per game (29th). 

It's been a wild few years for Barrett. The undrafted free agent out of Colorado State made the Denver Broncos in 2015 and recorded 14 sacks in five years, which included winning a Super Bowl in 2016. Barrett's snap count on defense topped out at 67 percent in 2017, dropping all the way to 26 percent the next season before he left as a free agent. 

With Tampa Bay in 2019, Barrett was on the field for 79 percent of the Bucs' defensive snaps. The results were overwhelming, as Barrett made the Pro Bowl for the first time and was named second team All-Pro.

That he's remaining with Tampa after such a successful season isn't much of a surprise. Barrett made no attempt to hide just how much he wanted to stay in Florida.

"I want to be here," the Baltimore native told the media in December. "I'm still going back home to Colorado to train and stuff there, but ... I plan on being back here to start (organized team activities) and the season. That's where I'm looking at right now. It's the Bucs to lose, and I don't think they're going to lose it."

Before free agency kicked off, Spotrac's Market Value tool predicted Barrett would sign a deal in the neighborhood of four years and $63 million. That $15.7 million annual average would be in the same realm as Za'Darius Smith, Chandler Jones, Shaq Thompson and Preston Smith.

That's quite the step up for a Broncos castoff who's best option was a one-year deal at this time last season.