TAMPA, Fla. — Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett announced his retirement from the NFL Saturday in an Instagram post.
The 31-year-old announced retiring just months after signing a deal with the Miami Dolphins.
In the post, the two-time Super Bowl champion said it was time for him to "hang it up."
"It's been a great ride and I appreciate everything that came with it over the years," Barrett said on Instagram. "I'm ready to shift my full focus to my wife and kids and helping them realize their dreams and catch 'em."
Barrett played nine seasons in the NFL, five of them with Tampa Bay according to his stats on ESPN. He helped lead the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl title in 2016 and again with the Bucs in 2021.
Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019, the most ever recorded by a Buccaneer in a single season. Now retired, the former Buc played a total of 131 games in the NFL.
One of Barrett's most emotional moments with the Buccaneers came last year when he dedicated his first career touchdown to his late daughter, Arrayah. The two-year-old had died months prior after she drowned in a pool at the family's home in the Beach Park neighborhood.
Tampa Bay parted ways with Barrett earlier this year. Bucs General Manager Jason Licht said it was one of the toughest moves he had to make during his 10-year tenure with the team.
"[I] did not want to make that call," Licht told media members in Indianapolis at the time.
In his post, Barret said he's ready to start building skills with his kids, which will take "100% commitment."
"(I know) to some it'll be a surprise, but I've been thinking about this for a while and the decision has never been more clear than it is now," Barrett stated at the end of the post.
