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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of work to do this offseason. Fortunately, two big dominoes fell Tuesday when they placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin and were able to agree to a contract extension with linebacker Lavonte David.
The other big question has been what they would be able to do with edge rusher Shaquil Barrett. In his third year with Tampa Bay, Barrett has solidified himself as one of the best pass rushers in the league under Todd Bowles’ system which has also set him up for a very big contract this free agency period.
But could there be good news on the horizon for Tampa Bay?
According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, both the Bucs and Barrett have entered talks of a long-term deal that would keep Barrett in pewter.
Having tagged WR Chris Godwin, I'm told the Bucs have begun discussions in earnest on a long-term deal with Shaq Barrett, one of the stars of Super Bowl LV and a crucial edge-rusher in Todd Bowles' defense.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 9, 2021
Barrett won't come cheap. But Tampa's working on keeping him.
Although it has already been known and widely talked about that Barrett is ready to break the bank, perhaps he is willing to cut back a bit in his demands with the Bucs to be a part of another potential Super Bowl run in 2021.
If Tampa Bay wants to avoid Barrett hitting the open market, they would need to do so before the legal tampering period begins next Monday. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming days.