Getty The Buccaneers could trade LB Shaquil Barrett.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could considering trading one of their top players in the offseason.
As suggested by ex-Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King during an interview with Compare.Bet’s Kyle Odegard, Tampa Bay should consider trading two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaquil Barrett considering the team’s salary cap issues and the idea that this team’s Super Bowl run is over.
“I’d see what Shaq Barrett can bring me in (a trade),” King said on Jan. 23. “They have guys that are highly paid that I think they can get a second-round pick back for them and salary cap savings. Maneuver this roster and get it a whole lot younger than it currently is.”
Shaq Barrett’s 2022 Season Ended After Just 8 Games
The 30-year-old Barrett suffered a torn Achilles at the midway point of the season in Week 8 versus the Baltimore Ravens, missing the remainder of the year due to the injury. Prior to the injury, Barrett was on pace for a career-high in tackles, notching 31 total tackles through just eight games. He also posted three sacks.
Barrett has been a member of the Buccaneers since signing with the team prior to the 2019 season. Barrett notched 19.5 sacks during his first year in Tampa Bay, leading the league in the category and clinching his first Pro Bowl campaign and only All-Pro season to date.
He inked a four-year, $72 million deal during the 2021 offseason.
While Barrett remains productive when healthy — he posted eight sacks during the team’s Super Bowl season in 2020 and 10 sacks in 2021 — he is one of the more attractive options for the Buccaneers to move this offseason. Barrett has a cap hit of roughly $21.2 million for the 2023 season, the third-highest mark on the team. If the Buccaneers trade or cut Barrett as a post-June 1st designation, it would only cost the Buccaneers a dead cap hit of slightly more than $6.6 million.
Considering Barrett isn’t the dominant force he was several years ago, the fact that he’s coming off of a major injury and combined with his age — 31 years old — it makes sense for Tampa Bay to hopefully recoup some draft assets out of Barrett while they still can.
Shaun King on Bucs: Super Bowl Window Has Closed
As mentioned earlier, King doesn’t believe the Buccaneers are a Super Bowl contender moving forward. With the very likely scenario of Tom Brady either leaving in free agency or simply retiring, Tampa Bay could very well be a middle-of-the-pack team next season. The Buccaneers face major salary cap issues — they’ll be nearly $55 million over the cap, the second-highest mark in the league — and will likely have to move on from many key veterans.
“This group’s Super Bowl window, in my opinion, has closed,” King said. “I would start evaluating what pieces do we have where we can get the most back? I would start stripping this roster down of some of my higher-priced guys that I think still have value, and I would start my rebuild now.”
The Buccaneers will have major decisions to make on not only free agents such as Lavonte David and Jamel Dean, they’ll also have to decide if they want to bring back current players under contract such as Barrett and Leonard Fournette.
All things considered, the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl window may very well be closed.