After two strong years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, pass rusher Shaq Barrett agreed to a four-year NFL contract to remain with the Buccaneers. Let’s look at Barrett’s contract and salary, his performances in Tampa Bay, and how this contract differs from his old one.
Shaq Barrett contract details
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Barrett and the Buccaneers agreed to a four-year deal. The deal is worth up to $72 million with $36 million in guarantees. Barrett’s base salary is $17 million per year, with escalators up to $18 million based on sacks and the team making the playoffs.
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The deal will make Barrett the third highest-paid outside linebacker in the NFL. He is just behind Khalil Mack and Von Miller for that honor.
What was the projected value of Shaq Barrett’s contract?
This deal for Barrett actually comes in as a slight value compared to Spotrac’s projection. Spotrac had Barrett projected for a four-year $78.8 million deal, with an average value of $19.7 million per year. Therefore, the Buccaneers have managed to save approximately $1.7 million per year compared to expected with this deal.
How has Barrett performed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Barrett has reinvigorated his career in Tampa Bay. In his two years in Florida, Barrett has 27.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss, and 53 QB hits. Those numbers are what have earned Barrett this monster contract in Tampa Bay this offseason.
However, Barrett really earned that money in the first year with the Buccaneers. In that first season, he led the league in sacks with 19.5, adding 37 QB hits, 6 forced fumbles, and 19 tackles for loss.
He struggled a little more in his second season. His sack total dropped to just 8, with just 16 QB hits and 2 forced fumbles. There will be some slight concern for the Buccaneers with this contract for Shaq Barrett, hoping that the 2020 performance is what they are paying for. If that is the case, this contract could look team-friendly in a year or two.
Barrett failed to make a real impact with the Denver Broncos to start his career
Barrett’s numbers in Tampa Bay are especially impressive compared to his numbers in Denver. When Shaq Barrett played on his rookie contract in Denver, his numbers were significantly lower than in Tampa.
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Barrett suited up for nearly double the number of games in Denver than in Tampa. However, he managed just 14 sacks, 35 QB hits, 25 tackles for loss, and 7 forced fumbles. While he played a slightly different role in Denver, the fact his 2020 numbers are closer to those Denver numbers on a per game basis could be a concern for the Buccaneers.
The advanced numbers suggest concerns could be overblown for Shaq Barrett on this contract
Barrett had some intriguing advanced numbers in 2020. He actually had more hurries in 2020 (24) compared to 14. His pressures were down slightly at 42, compared to 51, but he did play one game less in 2020 than 2019. Additionally, Barrett was only credited with 121 blitzes, as opposed to 174 in 2019. Therefore, the production decrease could be explained by Barrett having a slightly different role in 2020.
What were Shaq Barrett’s previous deals?
Shaq Barrett has previously played on two one-year deals with the Buccaneers. In 2020, he played on the franchise tag with a value of $15.8 million for the season. That was after playing the 2019 season on a $4 million deal, which contained $3 million in guarantees.
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He also played on one-year deals in his final two seasons with the Denver Broncos. In 2017, Barrett was an exclusive rights free agent, playing on a one-year deal with the Broncos that season. Then, as a restricted free agent the following season, Barrett played on a one-year deal worth $2.9 million a year in base salary.
Therefore, this contract for Shaq Barrett will represent the first time he has not played on a one-year deal since 2017.
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