Retired Pro Bowl linebacker Shaq Barrett wants to play in the NFL again. The news was confirmed by Barret’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
According to Rosenhaus, Barret has already applied for reinstatement to the NFL. Barrett retired this past summer, citing his desire to spend more time with his family.
When Barrett gets reinstated, he will be under contract with the Miami Dolphins. He signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Dolphins in March and took part in the team’s offseason activities before walking away from the game just one day before the opening of training camp.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel said he was surprised to learn about Barrett’s decision to come out of retirement.
“There’s a ton of implications that go along with it in terms of team and roster stuff, so we’ll work through that as we just got the news today,” McDaniel said.
Shaq Barrett is best known for his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined the franchise in 2019 after five years with the Denver Broncos and delivered a career campaign that saw him rack up a league-leading 19.5 sacks. Barrett was also a key part of the Bucs team that won the Super Bowl LV in 2020.
Barrett’s sack numbers dropped in the last couple of seasons, and he only managed 4.5 sacks in 2023. The Bucs decided to cut him after the campaign in a salary cap move.
