Shaq Barrett is coming out of retirement at a pivotal point of the NFL season. He has officially filed for reinstatement.
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Barrett's agent Drew Rosenhaus announced the news on Tuesday, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Sources said that the veteran defender would be willing to suit up for the Miami Dolphins, which is key considering that he would still be under contract with the AFC East team.
Barrett signed a one-year deal worth up to $9 million in March as he joined the Dolphins. This move followed his release from the Buccaneers. However, he never suited up for the Dolphins as he retired before the start of training camp.
Barrett began his NFL career in 2014. He landed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent but did not appear in any games as a rookie.
In 2015, however, he appeared in 16 games while registering 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. He ended the season as a Super Bowl champion after helping the Broncos defeat the Panthers 24-10.
Barrett remained with the Broncos through the 2018 season and ended his time in the Mile High City with 151 combined tackles, seven forced fumbles, and 14.5 sacks.
The veteran signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and kicked off the most productive chapter of his career. Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019 and earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
He returned to Tampa Bay in 2020 and played a key role in a championship season. He posted eight sacks during the regular season as the Bucs went 10-5. Barrett added four more sacks during the postseason — three in the NFC Championship against the Packers and one in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
For the second time in his career, he ended the season as a Super Bowl champion.
Barrett spent three more seasons in Tampa before becoming a victim of the salary cap. He had a $15.04 million roster bonus due at the start of the new league year. The release meant the Buccaneers did not have to pay the bonus. It also provided nearly $5 million in salary cap relief.
If Barrett returns to the Dolphins, he would bolster a team that has turned its season around and gotten back into potential playoff contention.
The Dolphins started the season with a win over the Jaguars. The team then lost three consecutive games while quarterback Tua Tagovailoa headed to Injured Reserve with a concussion.
Tagovailoa returned to the lineup for a Week 8 game against the Cardinals. The Dolphins were 2-4 at that point of the season. They fell to 2-6 with losses to the Cardinals and Bills.
Since that loss to the Bills, however, the Dolphins have won three consecutive games to reach 5-6 on the season. The team is now second in the AFC East.
