At the end of the season, Ronde Barber said he needed some time to consider whether or not he wanted to return for a 17th NFL season.
According to his brother, he’s made up his mind. Tiki Barber was on 98.7 in Tampa and was asked by former Buccanner Booger McFarland to give his gut feeling about whether his brother has the desire to keep playing.
“You know, he does. And there’s been some rhetoric around his motivation. ‘He’s too beat up; he can’t do it anymore.’ But I’ve talked to him multiple times over the last month and a half and it’s been the same. He’s told me this is the best he’s felt after a season in many years,” Tiki Barber said, via JoeBucsFan.com.
If that’s the case, the question would shift to whether or not he’ll remain in Tampa. Tiki said that his brother was planning to meet with the team on Thursday to discuss plans, timing that makes sense given the impending start of free agency.
There’s been talk that the Buccaneers might want to move on because Mark Barron would be a better fit playing the role Ronde played (and played well) for Tampa last season. It’s hard to imagine seeing Ronde Barber in another jersey, but we could get an idea fairly soon whether it is even a possibility.