There have been many epic pass rushers in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise, but as of Sunday, none have ever logged as many sacks in a single season as Shaq Barrett. During the second quarter of Sunday's matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons, Barrett brought down quarterback Matt Ryan for sack No. 17.5 in 2019, passing Warren Sapp for first place on the organization's all-time list.
Shaquil Barrett (@MOOCHIE048) has 17.5 sacks (and counting) this season, the most sacks in a single-season in @Buccaneers history.
He broke a tie with Hall of Famer @WarrenSapp (16.5 in 2000) to secure the record.#ATLvsTB | #GoBucs
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) December 29, 2019
Barrett arrived in Tampa Bay during the off-season and became a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Having started all 16 games for the Buccaneers, he failed to record a sack in just five contests. Through his first five seasons in the league, he accumulated just 14 sacks, hitting his peak during his age-27 year.
Having already been named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, Barrett is likely closing in on First-team All-Pro honors. In addition to his enormous sack numbers, he entered the weekend with new career highs in tackles (52), forced fumbles (six) and quarterback hits (32), while also snatching his first career interception.
In addition to Sapp's mega-2000 campaign, Barrett also had to soar past Simeon Rice and his triumvirate of 14 or more sack years since the start of the decade.
After five years spent with the Denver Broncos, Barrett has put himself on the precipice of a major payday this upcoming off-season. Whether he remains with the Bucs or not, Barrett delivered a season in 2019 that won't soon be forgotten, even as Tampa Bay finishes on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.
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