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Ex-Pro Bowl LB Shaquil Barrett returning to Bucs, source says

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed former Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, the team announced Saturday.

Barrett will forgo the practice squad and sign to the 53-man roster, a source told ESPN.

Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019, was waived by the Miami Dolphins from their reserve/retired list earlier this week and cleared waivers Friday. Barrett did not play for the Dolphins, who signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million as a free agent in March. That deal came after his release by the Buccaneers, a move done strictly to free up salary cap space.

Appearing on the "Up & Adams" podcast in August, Barrett said there was a "perfect, perfect scenario" he could see himself coming out of retirement for.

"I won't do it for any other scenario or any other team or anything like that," Barrett told host Kay Adams then. "I have a lot of history down there. All that stuff that happened with my daughter and stuff, how they came through for the family. ... It just meant so much to me. Tampa got a special place in my heart."

Barrett was referring to the April 2023 death of his daughter Arrayah, which coincided with his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon sustained in 2022. One of the team's most memorable moments in 2023 was when Barrett intercepted a pass from Justin Fields and returned it for a touchdown -- the first and only pick-six of his career -- to seal a 27-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Barrett pointed at the sky and dedicated the play to Arrayah, a moment several within the Buccaneers organization said was a highlight of their season.

General manager Jason Licht said at the time of Barrett's release that he "did not want to make that call" but that the team would leave the door open for a possible return because of how highly it thought of him as a person and a player.

With two games to go in 2024, the Buccaneers still have a shot at making the playoffs for the fifth straight season, but they will need the Atlanta Falcons -- who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker -- to lose one of their remaining games and Tampa Bay probably needs to win out.

The Buccaneers have not received the sack production they had hoped for from their outside linebackers in 2024. Anthony Nelson leads the group with three. The majority of their production has come from inside, with defensive tackle Calijah Kancey notching 6.5 sacks this season, defensive tackle Vita Vea with six and inside linebacker Lavonte David with 5.5.

In Barrett's final season with the Buccaneers, he had 4.5 sacks and 52 combined tackles, including 33 solo.