Two-time Super Bowl champion and former All-Pro linebacker Shaq Barrett has applied for reinstatement to play immediately after he had previously announced his retirement from the NFL in July, according to ESPN. Once reinstated, Barrett is contractually beholden to the Miami Dolphins, who own his rights.
In the immediate aftermath of this news coming out, it’s unclear if Barrett will play for the Dolphins or if he will try to wiggle his way out of his deal with Miami and find a new home somewhere else in the league. If he was not planning on playing for the Dolphins, they would need to release him after signing with the franchise back in March.
Given this development, it’s worth revisiting Barrett’s comments to the “Up & Adams” show back in late August where he told host Kay Adams that the only way he would come out of retirement would be to re-join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I wouldn’t do it for any other scenario or any other team or anything like that,” Barrett said at the time. “I’ve got a lot of history down there.”
So, if Barrett stays to his word from the summer, he could be making his return to the league with the intent on rejoining with the Buccaneers. Barrett played five seasons for Tampa Bay up until he was released last March. The Bucs are currently 5-6 on the season, but lurking right behind the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) in the NFC South, albeit losing the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Meanwhile, if he is returning to play for Miami, he could also prove to be a valuable piece in their playoff push. The Dolphins are in the thick of a playoff push in the AFC. The club has won three straight games and is slotted as the No. 8 seed, just outside the playoff picture. At 5-6, the Dolphins are a game behind the Denver Broncos (7-5) in the loss column.
In his career, Barrett has tallied 400 total tackles and 59 career sacks in 131 regular season games. Last season, he played 16 games for the Buccaneers and had 52 tackles to go with 4.5 sacks.
