Shaquil Barrett Fantasy

Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett is signing his franchise tender on Friday and has filed a grievance against the team that he should be tagged as a defensive end and not as a linebacker. The franchise tag for a linebacker pays around $15.8 million, while the tag for a defensive end pays around $17.8 million this year. Barrett and the Bucs are not close to a long-term extension and the hope is that they can find common ground on a one-year deal moving forward. Most teams aren't looking to shell out tons of cash on extensions with COVID-19 potentially negatively affecting the salary cap in 2021 and beyond. The 27-year-old was fantasy relevant for the first time in his career in 2019, recording a whopping 19.5 sacks, 58 tackles and 81 total pressures. But can the pass-rushing linebacker do it again? He had 14 combined sacks in four seasons with the Broncos prior to last year. Barrett will need to continue being a sack monster in order to maintain relevance in IDP leagues.

Jul. 10th • 7:54 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett is holding out hope for a long-term deal before the July 15 deadline, but he isn't holding his breath. "Long-term will probably be pretty hard with the situation of the world right now. I think we're working on a deal, but it probably won't be long (term)," Barrett said on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic and unsure nature of next year's salary cap is making it hard for franchise tagged players to sign multi-year deals. If a long-term deal isn't worked out, Barrett plans to sign his tag. Barrett had 19.5 sacks in a full-time role for the first time in his career in 2019 and is set to earn $15.8 million in 2020 under the tag. Like the Bucs, fantasy owners in IDP leagues would like to see the pass-rusher have another great season before trusting him as a starting linebacker.

Jun. 30th • 11:25 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, the reigning NFL sack leader, is one of five remaining NFL players (A.J. Green, Chris Jones, Yannick Ngakoue and Justin Simmons) that have yet to sign their franchise-tag tenders. Barrett said on NFL Total Access on Wednesday that he is "about 50-50" on whether he'll sign it. He started only 15 combined games in five previous seasons with the Broncos, but he started all 16 games last year with Tampa and set a single-season franchise record with 19.5 sacks. Barrett's 37 quarterback hits were also tops in the league, and his six forced fumbles were third. His 68 QB pressures were third in the NFL. The 27-year-old has until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with the club. Barrett could be morphing into a serious pass-rushing force, but his lack of tackles (career-high 45 solo tackles last year) makes him more of a backup linebacker in IDP leagues. Fantasy owners want to see him do it again in 2020.

Jun. 25th • 12:34 AM