Barrett tears Achilles' tendon

The Buccaneers fear EDGE Shaq Barrett tore his left Achilles' tendon in Thursday night's loss to the Ravens. We'll watch for confirmation, but that generally follows these reports. The injury would obviously end Barrett's season. It also might challenge his readiness for the start of next year. Barrett turns 30 in November and has 2 years remaining on his contract.

Update: MRI confirmed the Achilles' tear.

Buccaneers EDGE Shaq Barrett left Thursday night's game against the Ravens with an ankle injury, rode to the locker room on a cart and was quickly ruled out. That doesn't bode well for the longer-term prognosis. We'll watch for word on a specific diagnosis and return timeline.

Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians says EDGE Shaq Barrett sprained the ACL and MCL in his right knee in Sunday's win over the Panthers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Tampa hopes to get Barrett back for the playoffs. That means you can dump him from IDP redraft rosters.

Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians says EDGE Shaq Barrett suffered a "minor" MCL injury in Sunday's win over the Panthers, according to the team website. We'll see whether the injury threatens his Week 17 status.

The Buccaneers have reached a 4-year deal to keep OLB Shaq Barrett from reaching free agency. Agent Drew Rosenhaus says it carries a top value of $72 million, with $36 million of that guaranteed. Barrett has emerged as 1 of the league's top pass rushers over his 2 seasons in Tampa Bay. He fell from a league-high 19.5 sacks in 2019 to just 8 last season, but Barrett's 76 total pressures ranked 2nd only to Aaron Donald.

The Buccaneers have applied the franchise tag to OLB Shaq Barrett. Contract talks have reportedly gone positively this offseason, so Barrett always appeared headed back to the team that helped him break out in 2019. Barrett blew up for 19.5 sacks last season after totaling 14 over his previous 5 campaigns. Barrett turned 27 in mid-November.