TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing a good job of keeping the Super Bowl-winning team together.
On Wednesday, the team announced it re-signed stand-out linebacker, Shaq Barrett, to a multi-year contract.
Several NFL insiders first reported the news on Monday with ESPN Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter saying Barrett signed a four-year deal worth up to $72 million.
NFL reporter Mike Garafolo also tweeted about the deal saying, the way Barrett hits the top payout will be through sacks and playoff escalators.
Barrett's news comes as the Bucs re-signed linebacker Lavonte David, tight end Rob Gronkowski and used a franchise tag on Chris Godwin. On Friday, quarterback Tom Brady helped free up some cap space with an extension he signed.
“Shaq has made a profound and immediate impact on our defense from the day he stepped into the building two years ago,” Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said.
“From leading the league in sacks in 2019 to leaving his mark during our postseason run to Super Bowl LV, Shaq’s contributions have been vital to our success as a team, and we look forward to continuing that success in the years ahead.”
Barrett has started in 31 of 32 regular-season games for the Buccaneers the last two years. During his time on the field, he has racked up 115 tackles, 53 quarterback hits and 27.5 sacks.
He also was a "focal point" for the Buccaneer's defense in the 2020 postseason during their push to keep the Lombardi Trophy in Tampa Bay. The team says he recorded eight quarterback hits and four sacks during the Bucs four-game title run.
Barrett leads the NFL in strip tackles and broke a single-season franchise record in 2019 with 19.5 sacks. That same stat makes Barrett in the top spot for the most sacks in a season by an undrafted player since 1982.
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