Sometimes an athlete just knows it’s time to quit.

That was the case for Miami Dolphins linebacker and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl champion Shaquil Barrett on July 20, when he announced his retirement on Instagram. Barrett also won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.

“It’s time for me to call it quits,” Barrett wrote. “It’s been an amazing ride and I appreciate everything that has come with it over the years. I’m ready to shift my full focus to my wife and kids and helping them achieve their dreams and catch them… (I know) this will come as a surprise to some, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while and the decision has never been clearer than it is now.”

Barrett was released by the Buccaneers in March in a cost-cutting move and signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Dolphins. He leaves the NFL with $78.1 million in career earnings over 10 seasons.

Barrett: From Undrafted Player to NFL Superstar

Barrett began his college career at Nebraska-Omaha, then transferred to Colorado State after Nebraska-Omaha disbanded its football program in 2010. In 2013, he was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the season with 12.0 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss.

Barrett played on the Broncos’ practice squad and active roster in 2014, but did not play in a single game as an undrafted free agent. However, he was named to the Opening Day roster and started six games in 2015, including a Super Bowl victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Barrett signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Buccaneers in 2019 and had one of the best seasons for a pass rusher in NFL history, leading the league with 19.5 sacks and being named an NFL All-Pro for the first time in his career.

Barrett played for Tampa Bay under the franchise tag in 2020, helping the team to a Super Bowl victory. In March 2021, he signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Buccaneers.

Barrett, who turns 32 in November, finishes his career with 59 sacks and 22 forced fumbles, along with the Tampa Bay franchise records for single-season sacks, single-game sacks (4) and single-game forced fumbles (2).

Buccaneers hope young pass rushers can take a step forward

After recording 10.0 sacks in 2021, Barrett has just 7.5 sacks over the past two seasons and has missed nine games in 2022.

That inefficiency — and unavailability — led the Buccaneers to look elsewhere for edge rusher help. In 2023, that meant rookie linebacker and third-round pick YaYa Diaby, who led Tampa Bay with 7.5 sacks despite playing in just 46 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

That success comes after a failed attempt to add pass-rushing help with 2021 first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who had his fifth-year option declined in the 2024 midseason. The Buccaneers are also hoping for some help from defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, and 2024 second-round pick Chris Braswell, an outside linebacker from Alabama who had 8.0 sacks, 10.0 TFL and led his team with 3 forced fumbles in 2023.

Tampa Bay’s rookies report to training camp on July 22, followed by the entire team on July 23.