Edge rusher Shaq Barrett announced his retirement from the NFL on Saturday, a week before he was scheduled to start training camp with the Miami Dolphins.
Barrett signed a one-year contract worth up to $9 million with the Dolphins in March. He was coming off a five-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he won one Super Bowl.
Barrett, 31, began his career with the Denver Broncos in 2014 as an undrafted free agent. He earned a spot on the practice squad at the end of the preseason and worked his way into a rotation role in 2015. He had 14 sacks with Denver from 2015-18 and was part of the team that beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Barrett signed with the Buccaneers in 2019 and tallied a league-best 19.5 sacks that season en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. He played an instrumental role in helping Tampa Bay win a championship in 2020 in what was Tom Brady’s first season as the franchise’s quarterback. Barrett had one sack in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs and recorded three others in that postseason.
The Colorado State product made the Pro Bowl again in 2021 after a 10-sack campaign. His production declined in 2022 and 2023, as he managed just 7.5 sacks in those two seasons combined. Barrett lost his 2-year-old daughter, Arrayah, to a drowning accident in between those seasons.
Miami was counting on Barrett to contribute to a pass rush that will be without Bradley Chubb to start the season as he recovers from an ACL injury. Jaelan Phillips is also expected to miss a chunk of the season rehabbing from a torn Achilles. The team drafted another edge defender, Chop Robinson, in the first round this year.
The Dolphins open training camp July 28.
