Shaq Barrett signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins earlier this month after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but before he joined the Dolphins, Barrett almost linked up with another AFC East club. The New York Jets. During an appearance on CBS Sports Radio with Zach Gelb, Barrett explained that he was very close to inking a deal with the Jets before Miami came in last minute.
“My agent was talking to me about potentially going to New York, and it was New York all the way up until … the day I ended up agreeing to terms with the Dolphins,” Barrett said. “And they just came out of left field. I loved the prospect of going to New York, but Dolphins, like they’re just more established as a team. They’re more proven at this point. And they’ve got some good guys in the room, like my pash-rush room, so I was looking forward to partnering up with them guys. And no state tax, that helps out a lot.”
Barrett also said that heading to South Beach allows his family to remain in Tampa, where the edge rusher had spent the last five years of his career. The 31-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Colorado State, went undrafted but ultimately landed with the Denver Broncos in 2015.
He spent the first four years of his NFL tenure with the Broncos and was a part of the Denver squad that won the Super Bowl during his rookie campaign. Barrett posted middling results with the Broncos before breaking out during his first season with the Buccaneers in 2019. That season, he led the league with 19.5 sacks to go along with 58 tackles, an interception and six forced fumbles en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
That was by far the best year of his career, although he did make another trip to the Pro Bowl in 2021 after registering 51 tackles, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles and a couple of fumble recoveries. Barrett appears to be on the decline, however, as he logged just 4.5 sacks in 2023. We’ll see if Shaq Barrett can rediscover some of his old mojo with the Dolphins.
