TAMPA, Fla. Not only did Buccaneers star pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett get a new four-year deal worth up to $ 72 million on Monday – he got a $ 1,372 million franchise settlement as a result of a complaint filed with the NFLPA last year, a source to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
That money will count towards Bucs’ salary ceiling in 2021. There will be no complaints handling, which would have been the next step. The Bucs chose to settle it, and in turn, Barrett can recoup the lost income.
The complaint stems from the NFL not distinguishing between outside and inside line backers when calculating franchise tag amounts, nor does it take into account the schedule. The franchise tag numbers are based on the top five salaries for each position.
Barrett is technically an outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ 3-4 schedule, but his job is mainly to rush the passer, like that of a 4-3 defensive end, rather than fall into cover in the short passing game.
In 2020, the franchise tag amount for linebackers was $ 15.828 million, while it was $ 17.788 million for defensive purposes.
A closer look at Barrett’s quick counts supports his argument.
In the past two seasons – including the 2020 post-season – Barrett played a total of 171 of 1,851 snaps (9,238%) in coverage and 1,086 snaps (58.67%) rushing the passerby (the remaining 594 snaps came against the run). In comparison, linebacker Lavonte David played a total of 1,342 snaps in cover and 207 snaps rushing the passer-by.