Dolphins reach 1-year deal with free agent Shaquil Barrett
Free agent linebacker Shaquil Barrett has agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal worth up to $9 million, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
Barrett, who had a $15.04 million option bonus due in March, had been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He said he knew there was a strong possibility that he could be cut because of his hefty cap charge.
Barrett, 31, was a two-time Pro Bowl selection during his five seasons with the Bucs and a key contributor on Tampa Bay’s championship-winning defense in 2020, recording three sacks against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game and another sack against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
After releasing Emmanuel Ogbah and the departure of Andrew Van Ginkel, the Dolphins did not have any healthy pass rushers prior to signing Barrett. Linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are currently rehabbing Achilles and ACL injuries, respectively.
The team hasn’t offered a timeline for either player’s return from injury, but Phillips is walking without a boot on his right foot and hopes to be ready for the start of the 2024 season.
Miami likely isn’t done adding pass rushers, considering how its depth took a hit last season. By the end of the regular season, the Dolphins’ top-three pass rushers all suffered season-ending injuries; they signed veterans Bruce Irvin and Justin Houston for essentially a one-game rental in the playoffs.
Barrett and his family suffered a tragedy in April 2023 when his 2-year-old daughter, Arrayah, drowned in the family’s pool. He returned for the start of the 2023 season and registered 4.5 sacks and 52 combined tackles, including 33 solo tackles.
In the Bucs’ Week 2 victory over the Chicago Bears, Barrett intercepted quarterback Justin Fields and returned it for a touchdown, blowing a kiss up at the sky and dedicating the performance to his daughter.
An undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 2015, Barrett has 59 career sacks in nine seasons with the Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. He led the NFL with a franchise-record 19.5 sacks in 2019, his first season with Tampa Bay. Barrett reached double-digit sack totals in just one other season: 2021, with 10.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.