Bucs Gameday

Miami Dolphins Restrict Former Bucs Pass Rusher From Potential Return to Tampa Bay

Despite his previously stated wish to join the Buccaneers if he were to come out of retirement, the Miami Dolphins will not allow Shaquil Barrett to pursue that opportunity.

Collin Haalboom

Jan 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett (7) with teammates in the tunnel before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Jan 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett (7) with teammates in the tunnel before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
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Shaquil Barrett was a key contributer to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl run in 2020.

Undoubtedly the team's best pass rusher at the time, Barrett played a tremendous game in the season finale, chasing Patrick Mahomes all over the field with reckless abandon from start to finish, ultimately helping the Bucs secure their second ever Lombardi Trophy.

READ MORE: Bucs’ Signing of Baker Mayfield Named Top 5 Best NFL Moves in Last 5 Years

Although Barrett would spend three more seasons with the Bucs after that Super Bowl victory, his production never came close to the 19.5 sacks he generated in his first year in Tampa. Still, he was a productive and reliable edge rusher for the team throughout his five seasons in red and pewter.

After being released from the Bucs this past offseason, Barrett signed a 1-year, $7 million contract to join the Miami Dolphins. However, before the regular season had even kicked off, Barrett had a change of heart and decided to retire from the NFL.

Although the 2024 season has continued on without him, Barrett has made numerous media appearances proclaiming his affection for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization. In fact, he even went as far as to state he would only come out of retirement to join the Bucs.

Earlier this week, news broke that Barrett indeed intended to come out of retirement.

Although the Miami Dolphins still held Barrett's contractual rights when these intentions were made public, a scenario still existed where the team could have allowed him to void the contract and ultimately become a free agent. In that case, Barrett would have been free to sign with any team he wanted.

Naturally, rumors began to swirl that Barrett wanted to rejoin his former teammates in Tampa Bay to provide some much-needed pass rush to a group that has struggled to generate pressure off the edge. The fact that starting outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka left last week's game vs. the Giants only added more fuel to the fire.

Well, apparently we'll never know if that was indeed Barrett's (or the Buccaneers') intention. Instead, according to Ian Rapoport, the Dolphins have made the decision not to activate Barrett off the retired list while at the same time refusing to grant him his release from the team.

Although he isn't the player he once was, there's no question that Shaq Barrett still has the ability to provide some rotational depth to a team that is lacking production off the edge. The Bucs are definitely a team that would benefit from such an addition, but just like many other teams in a similar situation, they'll have to look beyond the likes of Shaquil Barrett to fill that role.

It's unfortunate that Barrett — one of the league's all-time good guys — won't have the opportunity to continue his dream of playing in the NFL. At least not this year.

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.

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