Buccaneers Mulling Using Franchise Tag on Shaquil Barrett Instead of Jameis Winston
By Jack Murphy
As March 12th is approaching, teams are taking into consideration what player they want to utilize the franchise tag on, in order to prevent them from hitting the open market. While it was reported that the Bucs were expected to use the tag on quarterback Jameis Winston, that may not be the case after all.
According to Adam Schefter, the Bucs are strongly considering placing their franchise tag on pass rusher Shaquil Barrett if the two parties are unable to agree to a long term deal. If they decide to go that route, Winston would then likely hit the free agent market.
Bucs are strongly considering placing their franchise tag on pass rusher Shaquil Barrett if the two sides are unable to reach a long-term deal, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2020
Also notable is this: Placing franchise tag on Barrett means there’d be no franchise tag left for Jameis Winston.
Barrett is coming off a tremendous 2019 campaign in where he registered an NFL-leading 19.5 sacks alongside 58 tackles. Coming off a breakout year, the Buccaneers would be foolish to let Barrett hit free agency.
The quarterback situation in Tampa is quite uncertain. If Winston walks in free agency the Bucs could try to find someone in free agency or try to acquire a gunslinger via the NFL Draft, where they own the No. 14 pick.
Bruce Arians says he has NOT told Jameis Winston the Buccaneers plan at QB.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) February 25, 2020
“We have a plan, we’re just not telling anybody.”#NFLNow @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/WKntWQzeuZ
Winston is coming off a roller coaster ride of a season in which he threw 33 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions, but paced the league with 5,109 passing yards. The Bucs seem unsure about committing to him long term, which resulted in the aforementioned franchise tag rumors, but now it appears they may be more concerned about keeping Barrett off the market.