TAMPA, Fla.– Buccaneers pass-rusher Shaq Barrett has actually notified the NFL that he has officially accepted his franchise tender, however he is filing a complaint with the NFLPA to be tagged as a protective end and not a linebacker, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPNs Adam Schefter.
Barrett, 27, registered a league-leading 19.5 sacks in his very first season with the Bucs, using a 1 year offer for $4 million.
The franchise tag quantity is calculated by taking the average of the top 5 gamers cap portions for the present season, or 120% of the players previous salary– whichever is greater. He d make $15.8 million for 2020 if Barrett is tagged as a linebacker. If he is tagged as a defensive end, he d make $2 million more– $17.78 million– due to brand-new contracts inked by DeMarcus Lawrence, Frank Clark, Trey Flowers, Yannick Ngakoue and Cam Jordan all in 2015.
The NFL does not differentiate in between outdoors and inside linebackers when determining franchise tag quantities, implying it does not make a difference in between linebackers acting as pass-rushers– whose primary task is getting to the quarterback, and perceived to be higher value– and those dropping into coverage.
The highest-paid outdoors linebacker, Khalil Mack, signed a new deal with the Chicago Bears in 2018, and the second-highest paid outside linebacker, Von Miller, signed his existing handle 2016. The 4th and 3rd highest-paid linebackers, Bobby Wagner and C.J. Mosley, did sign brand-new offers in 2019, in addition to ZaDarius Smith, however several players– Barrett, Matt Judon and Bud Dupree– are still waiting for new agreements.
The Bucs might try to argue that Barrett is more of a 3-4 outside linebacker offered the number of snaps he plays standing up hurrying the quarterback versus having his hand in the dirt. Or they could follow what the Baltimore Ravens made with Judon this offseason, by coming up with a compromise– $16.8 million– considering that Judon plays a hybrid linebacker/defensive end role. A neutral arbitrator will make the call if Barrett and the Bucs can not find an option.
