Buccaneers reportedly set to release Shaquil Barrett in cap-saving move

Published

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving on from one of their best defensive players in recent memory.

Shaquil Barrett will be released by the team in a cap-saving move, according to multiple reports. The edge rusher had a $15.04 million option due in March that he would've received if he was still on the roster.

However, the Buccaneers will have to make Barrett a post-June 1 designated cut. He would have a cap hit of $26.7 million if he were released without post-June 1 designation, but will have a $9.2 million cap hit for 2024 with a post-June 1 designation, according to OverTheCap.com. Barrett will carry a $17.4 million dead cap hit for next season as the Buccaneers save $4.9 million with the move.

Even after Friday's news that the salary cap for the 2024 season would be higher than expected, the Buccaneers needed to clear out cap space if they wanted to keep three of their franchise pillars. Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Evans are all scheduled to hit free agency in March, forcing Tampa Bay to make tough decisions if it wants to improve its chances of winning the NFC South for a fourth straight season.

The Buccaneers were one of the more surprising teams in the NFL, in large part, due to those three players' play. Mayfield turned his career around, Evans posted another 1,000-yard season and Winfield was named a first-team All-Pro safety, helping the Buccaneers reach the NFC Divisional Round before losing to the Detroit Lions.

Barrett struggled in 2023 in his return from an Achilles tear that he suffered in 2022. He recorded just 4.5 sacks in 16 games, his fewest in a season since his final year with the Denver Broncos in 2018 (not including his shortened 2022 season).

The Buccaneers signed Barrett for a bargain deal in 2019, adding him on a small one-year deal. He immediately became one of the league's best pass rushers upon his arrival, recording 19.5 sacks in 2019. He recorded eight sacks in 2020, adding four more quarterback takedowns in the postseason en route to the Buccaneers' win in Super Bowl LV. He signed a four-year, $72 million deal after the title run.