Shaq Barrett Says Buccaneers Are 'Going to Be a Contender' with Tom Brady

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett is ready for a playoff run.

"I'm instantly thinking we're going to be a contender," he said to ESPN (h/t Mark Maske of the Washington Post). "We're going to be a playoff contender. And that's all I wanted, was to play winning football again and try to get a championship. So that's a step in the right direction."

Barrett's comments come after Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Buccaneers reached a contract agreement with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.

While Tampa Bay hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2007 campaign, Barrett knows what it is like to be a contender. He spent the first five years of his career on the Denver Broncos and won the Lombardi Trophy during the 2015 season.

However, he made a significant individual jump during his first season with the Buccaneers.

He led the league with 19.5 sacks and made his first career Pro Bowl even though the team was just 7-9. It was the first time in his career he finished with more than the 5.5 sacks he tallied as a rookie in 2015.

Brady surely knows what it is like to be a contender as well with six Super Bowl championships on his illustrious resume.

He will be 43 years old during the 2020 campaign and is past his prime, but he also has plenty of weapons at his disposal with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard. Cecil Lammey of 104.3 The Fan in Denver even said "the Todd Gurley buzz has some reality to it" for the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay will have arguably the greatest quarterback of all time leading the way in 2020, and Barrett is ready for a winning effort.