The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the middle of an extremely tight race in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams are 8-7 and the Falcons currently own the tiebreaker heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
However, the Buccaneers know that all that they can control are the games they’re playing in, and they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure they close out the season strong, according to two prominent NFL insiders.
“Bucs are re-signing former Pro-Bowl LB Shaq Barrett, as (Pewter Report) reported. Barrett cleared waivers Friday after the Dolphins released him and now will sign with the Bucs on Saturday,” reported ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport followed things up with a story on Barret’s brief retirement.
“Here is our full story on the reunion in Tampa, as Shaq Barrett signs back with the (Bucs) after a brief retirement,” tweeted Rapoport.
Here is our full story on the reunion in Tampa, as Shaq Barrett signs back with the #Bucs after a brief retirement: https://t.co/30CdA5I5lohttps://t.co/30CdA5I5lo
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2024
Fans reacted to the reunion on social media.
“He telegraphed this a long time ago. I just don’t understand why he didn’t communicate prior to the trade deadline. Would have been better for both parties,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Why did he intentionally screw over the Dolphins? It seems like they were great to him the entire time,” another fan added.
“He gets to stay in Florida and go back to the team where he was successful in while making a playoff push. Wins all the way around for him and the Bucs,” one fan added.
“Will be interesting to see if he can return to old form and contribute,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see what Barrett’s role is within Tampa Bay’s defense.
