Shaq Barrett And The Contract Push
December 1st, 2020
Shaq’s agent, oily Drew Rosenhaus, was in town this week.
There’s one very safe bet when it comes to the Buccaneers’ key offseason decisions: Shaq Barrett won’t be slapped with the franchise tag again.
Assuming the rules haven’t changed, if Shaq got the tag again from the Bucs in 2021, he’d have to get a 20 percent pay increase, which would be put him at a $19 million salary. That’s just not going to happen.
Much more likely is the Bucs looking to sign Shaq to a multiyear deal that suits him and his agent, oily Drew Rosenhaus, who was at Sunday’s Bucs game watching his investment strip-sack Patrick Mahomes. If not for that play, there is no close and exciting finish.
Shaq only has six sacks this season, versus 19 1/2 last year. However, the quarterbacks remaining on the schedule eat a lot of sacks, and Shaq will be refreshed by the bye week. Also, it’s a rather down year for sacks in the NFL, so Shaq’s six don’t look so bad.
And Shaq also might have have gotten a boost Sunday by being shifted back to right defensive end, where he made his mark in 2019.
Regarding Shaq’s six sacks, fellow NFC South edge-rush beast Cameron Jordan has 6 1/2 sacks, while Brian Burns of Carolina has six. No NFC edge rusher has hit double digits.
Last year, Shaq closed with five sacks in his final four games. If he can repeat that, or have four in the final four, or a big playoff game, the Bucs are going to have a very hard decision before them. Or perhaps it’s an easy decision; keeping a 28-year-old stud pass rusher should be a no-brainer.
One of the best sacks of the season from Shaq Barrett here last week, stringing multiple moves together (cross-chop + double-swipe) for the strip/sack. Just gorgeous. pic.twitter.com/xYkU6XyRad
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 1, 2020
December 1st, 2020 at 3:46 pm
Most probably they tagged Shaq on one year and show me what youve got….And the truth is, he is a good player, but not elite….I wouldn´t pay him big money…..
December 1st, 2020 at 3:58 pm
You know you’re oily when you sport a cellphone on your belt clip.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:00 pm
And wear company gear (which bears your name) while going to a ballgame.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:01 pm
I think we can put Shaq next to Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Men Without Hats, Los Del Rio, and Right Said Fred….
One. Hit. Wonder.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:05 pm
Move him back to the other side where he played last season.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:20 pm
Maybe keep him on the right side
Why would you switch something when you had 19 1/2?
Even if it was his idea, coaches shouldn’t have allowed it!
December 1st, 2020 at 4:35 pm
Shaq is having a very good year and I still think he’ll get at least 10 sacks. The sack number doesn’t tell the entire story. Pressures and hurries is not an official stat but he’s creating a lot of disruption and is a key reason why the Bucs defense as a whole are playing very well. However, this team probably can’t keep both JPP and Shaq with the shrinking salary cap. Someone has to go. Maybe both have to go.
We know Shaq will get 10 sacks. We don’t know if the OLB/DE the Bucs eventually draft will get 10 sacks. The team can’t afford to go another decade without a guy getting double digit sacks.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:58 pm
Remember last year when 90% of the folks here said we HAD to sign him to a long term deal… pay him the $20m a year he wants, he’s worth it. LOL!
December 1st, 2020 at 5:03 pm
Sometimes I wonder about Bucs’ media (and fans too). Bucs have exactly TWO pass rushers who are doing anything: JPP & Shaq. JPP will be 32 on Jan 1st; Shaq just turned 28 in Nov. Both of them rarely come off the field. Behind them we’ve got … oh ya, nobody.
There’s an excellent chance that Shaq will get close to 10 sacks this year (he’s already got 6 with 4 games to go), but that’s only a small part of his true value IMO. Thru 12 games he’s got 47 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 FF, 11 QB Hits, 20 QB Hurries, 32 QB Pressures plus 6 QB Knockdowns. And oh ya, he’s blitzed over 100 times, more effectively than any other Buc.
But surely he’s not worth what we’re paying him. I mean we could find 10 like him to play OLB/DE for half the money. I’m sure that his agent, ‘oily Drew Rosenhaus’, would give us all kinds of leads.
Like you said Joe … “perhaps it’s an easy decision; keeping a 28-year-old stud pass rusher should be a no-brainer”.
December 1st, 2020 at 5:04 pm
Shaq will have to check his ego at the door and take a pay cut…..he might as well take one with the Bucs and not have to move..
I’d say a good figure is about a million a sack…..so, if he produces the last 4 games….maybe $10 mil….
December 1st, 2020 at 5:34 pm
Vita Vea has proven to be injury prone and can’t be counted on as of now
Our D line is in bad shape after JPP and shak
December 1st, 2020 at 5:50 pm
Shaq may not be Lawrence Taylor but he’s in the zip code
December 1st, 2020 at 6:19 pm
They will have to decide Godwin or Shaq they don’t have enough money to sign both.
December 1st, 2020 at 6:20 pm
Beeej … were you watching the NFL when LT was playing? No offense but Shaq isn’t anywhere near that “zip code”.
LT was a game wrecker – an undisputed, all-time great – Shaq isn’t even noticed half the time.
With a massive reduction in the 2021 salary cap coming, Barrett will be lucky to get $10 mil from the Bucs. There are too many real impact players that need to get paid first: David, Godwin, etc.
December 1st, 2020 at 6:57 pm
Based on today’s rules, why pay any defenders? Just load up on offense and get C players on D. If they hit anyone, they’ll draw a flag anyway. Maybe the agents can then explain to the NFL that defenses make the game fun to watch. QBs going 40 for 41 with 10 DPIs and another 5 personal fouls is basketball.
December 1st, 2020 at 7:31 pm
@Davenport … “With a massive reduction in the 2021 salary cap coming, Barrett will be lucky to get $10 mil from the Bucs.”
That ‘massive reduction’ is still just a lot of speculation. The fastest way to screw up the NFL is to ‘go cheap’. Many clubs (Bucs among them) were having trouble with attendance BEFORE COVID. And many teams are locked into some fairly long, big bucks contracts (evidence Mike Evans?). Plus ‘go cheap’ and player movement among teams will surely accelerate.
In Shaq’s case, the big question is really ‘Will another team pay him more than the Bucs offer?’ (after all, he will be a FA). And the answer is … no question some team will outbid the Bucs, IF the Bucs let them. They won’t.
If you look at our draft NEEDS next year, I see (1) QB; (2) DT; (3) DE/OLB; (4) CB; (5) OL (probably Tackle?) … not necessarily in that order of course. Based on our record, we’ll probably pick middle-of-the-pack. We’ve got a number of big names to feed BEFORE we even start talking signing FAs to fill some obvious holes. Yup, should be fun. But no sweat, we’ve got Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid leading the charge. We’re good. Well, until their escape plan develops one flaw …
Butch … ‘Let’s you and me jump in that river’.
Sundance … ‘I can’t swim’.
Butch … ‘Are you crazy. The fall will probably kill you’.
December 1st, 2020 at 7:41 pm
These salaries are getting out of control. I wouldn’t pay him a penny over MAYBE 12mil. He’s just not worth any more.
December 1st, 2020 at 8:32 pm
BREATH…..
December 1st, 2020 at 8:35 pm
Shaq and Godwin. Keep them both. Only an idiot would get rid of Shaw in his prime.
Bring back JPP. Convince Suh to play one more. Go get a veteran Safety. Go get a veteran CB. Get a veteran G/C and T.
Then upgrade the coaching staff. If Arians is not willing to fix this, get Josh McDaniel.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:09 pm
Some interesting and creative contracts coming next year. Lower numbers first year to fit under the cap with longer guarantees and signing bonuses. Some re-negotiations for existing contracts will occur as well. I don’t see as much free agent movement as anticipated although it will be more than in recent years. Very curious what the left tackle market will look like.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:16 pm
Defense Rules:
https://www.nfl.com/news/2021-nfl-salary-cap-conundrum-three-major-consequences-of-projected-decrease
The 2021 salary cap could drop by as much as $30 million. Guys are going have to take less. That’s a fact.
Its not about going “cheap”, its about a league-wide lack of cap space.
8
December 1st, 2020 at 9:17 pm
Defense Rules
The 2021 salary cap could drop by as much as $30 million. Guys are going have to take less. That’s a fact.
Its not about going “cheap”, its about a league-wide lack of cap space.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:21 pm
After watching this defense the past few weeks, the Bucs only have 3 players truly playing at a high level and thats JPP, Suh and somewhat Winfield.
Everybody else needs to step it up including our so called “premier” LBs in LVD and Devin White. Mahomes and Goff both had no problem throwing it past either of them the last 2 weeks.
December 1st, 2020 at 9:34 pm
Shaq went into the season with a spare tire which is code for out of shape.
December 1st, 2020 at 10:18 pm
@DefenseRules is 100% right. Last year, Carl Nassib did a good job and allowed some rest for Shaq and JPP.
This year, Anthony Nelson is improving a little bit, but he’s still far from being effective.
Too much workload for the starters.
@ofCourse “Vita Vea has proven to be injury prone” Really???? Breaking a leg shows that the big guy is injure prone? Unless he has osteoporosis, it was an accident. IMO, the only thing that VV has proven is that he’s a top-3 NT in the league.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:16 am
Davenport Says……”LT was a game wrecker – an undisputed, all-time great – Shaq isn’t even noticed half the time”.
Here is something think about when someone talks about LT.
Washington Head Coach, Joe Gibbs designed the “One Back offense” to be able to get a blocker on LT. So when you change the way the game is played, you are in a different class of player.
Just like Tiger Woods when he played , he changed the game of golf, the Term “Tiger proof” started to be used in describing The modifications being done to the design of the holes, length and other things. Greatness is really shown by a player in his or her sport by how they change the game. LT is in a different stratosphere than Shaq. With that being said, Shaq is an excellent player and overall good citizen, and hopefully not a 1 hit wonder as Heyitsadam said. At least Shaq has more years to show what he can do. GO BUCS!!!
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:28 am
I meant to say -When Tiger played earlier in His career, this should have been added, obviously he is still playing, just not the all time great player he was when he started playing in the late 90’s. Anyways. GO BUCS!!!!!
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:36 am
If you look at all the OLB in the NFL .. this guy has arguably a top 3 body of work. From sacks, Tackles, FF, pressures , etc. He’s top 10 at his position. Guys are just getting balls out quicker.
December 2nd, 2020 at 5:26 am
Once again for the cheap seats – sacks are an incredibly unreliable indicator of performance. Shaq has been playing great. Pay the man or lose him.
December 2nd, 2020 at 6:10 am
Davenport … Good article, and I agree that the salary CAP will surely drop some. But just like that article stated: “there are estimates out there, but no official number from the league”. The unofficial number MIGHT be as high as the $22 mil that OverTheCap estimated in the article, but there’s a tremendous amount at stake for these owners & they’re not exactly poverty-stricken. Neither are the veteran players, so I’d anticipate that there’ll be a lot of give-and-take between now and next Spring.
December 2nd, 2020 at 8:05 am
Thank you! I knew some of those stats but not all of them.
Shaq is earning his money. He’s had a great season. Most people think sacks are the only metric.
December 2nd, 2020 at 9:13 am
I dunno. We have no money and Godwin and LVD are going to cost some dough. I think Shaq has jumped about 19.5 times on important third downs already this year. OLB that can rush the passer and is good in coverage has been close to my first round pick. We need to pay a vet CB and we don’t even know if Bowels scheme that Shaq has flurished with so much blitzing, is even gonna be around next year.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:55 pm
Too many games this year NO Buc defenders could mount a pass rush. Neither JPP or Shaq have shown the ability to beat pass blockers one on one. That hardly makes Shaq a stud. He’s a nice player. But not a difference maker this year.