As of now, the deadline for teams to use franchise and transition tags is on Monday and the Buccaneers are expected to use theirs on linebacker Shaq Barrett.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians made it clear before the 2019 season was over that Barrett wouldn’t be going anywhere. The short period of time between the end of player voting on the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the end of the tag window makes it hard to imagine a long-term deal gets done right away, so the tag will be used even if it is just to buy time to talk about a longer deal.
During an appearance on NFL Network, Barrett acknowledged his desire is for that longer deal but said that he expects to play under any circumstances.
“I’m gonna play off the tag [if] I got to but I do want that long-term deal. It’s all about security for me and my family; that’s all I’ve been fighting for my whole time in the NFL,” Barrett said. “Even a franchise tag, I’m still getting the security too but I just want a long contract and long-term security.”
A tag for Barrett, who had 19 sacks last season, would come with a salary around $16 million.