Shaq Barrett A Rare Player
February 14th, 2021
Rare pash rusher.
If Joe told you that somehow with a magic wand, the Bucs could have either James Harrison or Cameron Wake in his prime, you wouldn’t blink an eye before approving.
Those guys were two of the better pass rushers when they were at the height of their games. Well, Shaq Barrett is basically Harrison and/or Wake.
Chase Stuart, who runs a pretty cool football stats research site, posted that Shaq Barrett is one of the rare undrafted players who has developed into one of the league’s best pass rushers.
Notable because when I think about the Bucs ridiculous pass rush in the Super Bowl, it was 2 ridiculous college players — Suh (2nd pick, won almost every award in ’09), Vea (11th pick, Pac-12 DPOY), JPP (15th overall pick pick) — and then Barrett.
Weird.
— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) February 14, 2021
And yeah, Stuart has an interesting observation. Suh was one of the most dominant pass rushers Joe has ever seen on the college level, maybe the best since back when Lee Roy Selmon played at Oklahoma.
Joe will never forget when Nebraska played Texas for the 2009 Big XII title (the last time Texas played for a national title). Texas won by the skin of its teeth with a last-second field goal and Suh tossed around Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy like a child.
In college, Vita Vea was — and still is — a freak.
But it is Bucs sack king Shaq who has outplayed both when it comes to flattening quarterbacks.
The Bucs gotta keep Shaq. That’s all there is to it.
February 14th, 2021 at 10:09 am
We have to do whatever it takes to keep him. Dominate pass rushers aren’t easy to find.
February 14th, 2021 at 10:11 am
Simple answer …yup
February 14th, 2021 at 10:13 am
I would keep Shaq over Fournette
February 14th, 2021 at 10:17 am
IMO shaq is priority #1, just slightly ahead of Godwin. Mainly because Evans age vs JPP age. I think you still have to find a way to keep those 2 above everyone else.
February 14th, 2021 at 10:22 am
You can’t keep Shaq, Godwin, Suh, and David. The Bucs have about 30 million. Shaq is going to get 18-20. Godwin is getting franchised or someone is going to pay him close to 20 million. Look at Amari Coopers contract. David is going to get at least 10 mil. Suh 7-8 million. Then we still need to sign Succop.
February 14th, 2021 at 10:28 am
I agree.
February 14th, 2021 at 10:38 am
One name that is never mentioned as a cut: Cameron Brate
6.5m, zero dead money and OJ Howard is coming back on a guaranteed deal (5th year option)
We all love Brate, but he is expendable
February 14th, 2021 at 10:44 am
What the buc
They actually can keep those 4’guys And should
Dont forget they have almost 12 mil tied up in cam brate and will gholston. I read somewhere else it may be closer to 10. And its not guaranteed so not dead cap effects. Bucs cap situation pretty good considering
Brate and gholston are buc lifers too
Pretty sure they would come back for pennies once cut. Or at least have deal in place …For at least one more year.
But it think that is why they may not be able to afford playoff lenny
ANd AB may have only option with bucs. Especially his criminal cases coming up.
February 14th, 2021 at 10:55 am
This defence went to another level once Vita came back. Wherever Vita lined up that push was the difference maker from a good defence to a great defence. Clearly his presence was especially felt in the Super Bowl. I appreciate Shaq, JPP and Suh but Vita was the key to such a dominant performance on defence by everyone. He made some a little better and others a lot better. His character, his commitment, his selflessness, his work ethic and his performance is everything a player should aspire to be. Hail Vita Vea!!! We love you, we appreciate you and wish nothing but great things for you and the team because you continue to do it the right way.
February 14th, 2021 at 11:05 am
Shaq is going to have to take less to stay in Tampa, IMO .
That said with discipline and a good money manager what he gets paid in the Bucs offer should make little difference in the big picture especially if you factor in the chance to play for another ring with the same team led by HOF QB TB , guaranteed to be part of NFL history
February 14th, 2021 at 11:07 am
sack barrett is indispensable. He has to be the number one priority, even if we have to move on with godwin and suh. David is second on my list then succup
February 14th, 2021 at 11:19 am
I know some will hate to hear it, but we could let Godwin walk to keep Shaq for at least 3 more years. I think the upside for the next 3 years with Tyler Johnson and Scooter will offset Godwin’s loss.
February 14th, 2021 at 11:22 am
@kyle , as the euphoria of the Super Bowl win fades and the reality of the cap roster is pondered , I agree with Suh and Godwin drawing the short straws. Not a reflection on their ability. Suh especially needs a draft pick dedicated to his replacement, Godwin with a cheaper vet FA player. Interesting times in the coming months
February 14th, 2021 at 11:34 am
I don’t know if I read it here on JBF or elsewhere but while the Bucs are in a pinch with the cap and so many free agents this year, in 2022 they will be in Great shape! Really need starting youth on DL
February 14th, 2021 at 11:52 am
Also, Donovan Smith is in the last year of his deal, he may be willing to extend and restructure to lower his cap hot next year…
February 14th, 2021 at 12:09 pm
We better go after JJ Watt cause Shaq is history. And why blame him? Some team coming up with big money for him. Unless of course Brady..wants to give up some of his 25 mil. Silence of that one huh?
February 14th, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Mike johnson
Dude. You have not been right about one thing
Why are you on here? You are doom and gloom
Examples
Season wont happen cause of covid
Brady wont last to week 5 with this oline
Waste of season cause bucs aint making playoffs
—-
—-
Go away troll. Seriously. You are such a tool.
Why would brady give back money. He is 15th highest paid qb in nfl so almost right in middle. He took the losing (est) franchise in history to super bowl winner in 1st year. He has been to 10 super bowl and won 7
He is the best free agent signing in bucs history. Yet he is selfish having middle of road contract. Dude. What an idiotic comment. But again thats why you are here.
February 14th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
“The Bucs gotta keep Shaq. That’s all there is to it.” Yea verily !!!
February 14th, 2021 at 12:36 pm
Shaq will get tagged, he isnt going anywhere.
February 14th, 2021 at 12:55 pm
Agreed. He is priority along with LD. It would be nice to keep Godwin but AB may be a more affordable option.
February 14th, 2021 at 1:00 pm
Better than Suh and Vea? Howd shaq do without Vea this year? Yeah I’d say the team values one way more than the other. If Vea’s in there you just gota find a guy to win a one on one. He will demand a double team and still collapse the pocket. When u win guys like shaq get paid big!! Somewhere else
February 14th, 2021 at 1:02 pm
@WhatTheBuc … “You can’t keep Shaq, Godwin, Suh, and David.” Try a little different perspective on that one WhatTheBuc. It’s all about PRIORITIES, and if the Bucs’ hierarchy PRIORITIZES Shaq, Godwin, Suh & LVD high enough, they can make that work. The real question is … What do they have to give up to make it work?
Reality is that none of us know at this point, not even the Bucs’ hierarchy IMO because there are too many unknowns right now. Unknowns like how much will this year’s salary CAP be? What will those 4 players be asking for? What will each of them be willing to settle for?
Personal opinion: the PRIORITY within that group of 4 will be defense then offense. As good as Chris Godwin is, he’s not indispensable to this offense. But LVD is indispensable to our defense. So is Shaq. And yes, so is Suh. Why do I think they’re indispensable? Simple, look at who’s sitting on our roster to take their place IF we don’t re-sign them. The answer? NOBODY. All three are not only proven performers, they’re TOP PERFORMERS IN THE NFL. Yup, all 3 of them.
To replace them if we don’t re-sign them would mean spending BIG BUCKS on some other TOP PERFORMER IN THE NFL. Of course we’d have the option of using our #32 pick to draft a replacement for 1 of the 3 of them, but let’s get real: Does anyone expect a #32 draft pick to produce at least as much as Shaq, Suh or LVD produced this year? And to provide their level of leadership on the defense? Ya right. The odds of that happening are infinitesimal.
Bottom line: Pay all 3 of them. Gut feel is that LVD will re-sign for $10 mil a year on a 4-year contract with 2 yrs guaranteed. Suh will re-sign on a 1-year contract for what he made last year … $8 mil. And Shaq will re-sign for $14-$15 mil a year on a 4-year contract with 2 yrs guaranteed.
Godwin is a little different story IMO. Spotrac lists Godwin’s market value as being $17.1 mil, anticipating he’ll get a 4-yr contract ($68.7 mil) & they rank him as the #7 WR. We can keep him in the fold IF we choose to (probably for around $14-$15 mil). But the price will be paid by giving up something else on OFFENSE (not on defense). That ‘something else’ might be Donovan Smith ($14 mil). Or it might be Cam Brate ($6.5 mil) and Ryan Jensen ($10 mil), then back-fill with draft picks. Personally I wouldn’t bet on that happening.
February 14th, 2021 at 1:11 pm
Oh and WhatTheBuc, forgot to mention something. IF we pay LVD $10 mil, Suh $8 mil and Shaq $15 mil that’d be $1.6 mil LESS than we paid the 3 of them in 2020. Pay Godwin $15 mil this year and that’d be $12.7 mil MORE than he made in 2020. (It’d still probably be cheaper to pay him that than to franchise tag him BTW).
Saving money by re-signing LVD, Suh & Shaq sounds like a good thing. Spending $12.7 MORE to re-sign Godwin may require a few sacrifices.
February 14th, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Team work made the dream work. The front 7 is the foundation of this teams success. Even with Brady, if that front seven was not dominant during the Platoff run and Super Bowl, they would not be Champions. Keep the front 7 intact. They can interchange pieces on the Offense a lot easier than their defense. Again, the front 7 is the FOUNDATION of this team. GO WORLD CHAMPION BUCS!!!!!!
February 14th, 2021 at 1:37 pm
The defensive FA have to be top priority, as much as I love CG and what he brings to the table. I see AB coming back and Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller both show promise. We have a few cuts that can be made Brate and Gholston and extensions for Smith, Jensen and Brady free up some cap as well as Mike willing to restructure. The money is there the front office has to make it happen
February 14th, 2021 at 1:40 pm
@DefenseRules
You really think LVD gets a 4 year deal at 31 years old? Almost every top inside backer’s contract expires at 32 and even the top pass rushers expire at 33.
I just don’t see how they can commit to him for 4 more years and be fine with paying a 34 yr old speed backer that doesn’t rush the passer $10M in a couple of years. He’s spent a lot of time here losing but he also got paid, and he’s on the downside of his career. He HAS to be the one guy that steps up and takes a hit on his next deal to help keep others around. And honestly, it makes more sense for him than chasing money while moving his family just to join a non-contender. Offer him 2years at $8M-$9M with most of it fully guaranteed.
Suh coming back on another 1 year deal makes sense, but I doubt it’s for the same price. Hopefully he’ll accept an offer that’s $1M-$2M cheaper. If not, JJ Watt could be a serious consideration at the price tag and is probably the better player at this stage.
Shaq has to be getting more than $14M-$15M a year. Guys like Von, Khalil, Dee Ford and Chandler Jones all signed when they were 27 (Shaq is 28) and they are averaging between $16.5M-$23.5M a year. He isn’t getting Khalil Mack money($23.5), but Dee Ford is a likely comparable his Agent will point to since he just signed last year and Shaq has out performed him easily over their last 2 seasons. Anthony Barr is making $13.5M a year and he hasn’t come close to doing what Shaq’s done. 4yr/$70M with 2yrs fully guaranteed is probably closer to what Shaq could/should get and it would be worth every penny.
February 14th, 2021 at 1:48 pm
A lot of people keep mentioning cutting or trading Brate and his 6.5mil because OJ is coming back. You can’t rely on that guy at all. 3 of 4 seasons ended on IR and coming off a torn Achilles. Most athletes are never the same after that injury. I could definitely see a restructure but I don’t think they get rid of him.
February 14th, 2021 at 2:20 pm
Pay the man, simple as that
February 14th, 2021 at 3:20 pm
Joe you poor misguided ignorant slut. Shaq only got pressure when Suh and Vea were on the field with him , at least for most of the game. The exhausting pressure and couple team requirement of those two together allowed Shaq to get pressure. Transfer Shaq to an average line and he will be more pedestrian.
That’s not to say we don’t need to keep him, but he needs the support of the man beasts on the line who made him possible .
February 14th, 2021 at 4:31 pm
All I know is if I was Joe Buxszntkt would never post on this site again.
February 14th, 2021 at 5:37 pm
Imagine Suh, JJ Watt, Shaq, and JPP rushing–unbeatable.
Watt has been traumatized by the insanity, poor morale, and toxic management in Houston and is looking for good vibes, winning, team culture, good teammates–I think the Bucs have a shot at landing him and keeping Shaq. With a reduced cap, is this really the year teams will break the bank for Shaq? The fans will focus on his 8 sacks, and how much more than $ 16-17per would a team offer him? 20?
February 14th, 2021 at 6:55 pm
Lol Brady bunch, I am certain Joe know’s where that comment comes from, you must be quite young and haven’t a clue, 😂
February 14th, 2021 at 7:25 pm
Thebradydoosh, I remember u now.!!! Lol, I suggested Joe banish you some time ago , your naming yourself after Brady tells us you are not a real Bux fan but a doosh living in your parents basement in Revere, MA trying to play fan with a winning team now that your Pats Suck !!! LOL , it’s ok , what did your mommy make for dinner, does she bring it down to your basement home for you or do you have to go upstairs to the kitchen ?