Shaq Barrett returns to Tampa Bay Buccaneers after release from Miami Dolphins

The two-time Pro Bowl linebacker cleared waivers Friday before re-joining the Buccaneers for a late-season playoff push.

Two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Shaq Barrett is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a late-season playoff push. Barrett cleared waivers after being released from the Miami Dolphins reserve/retired list.

Barrett spent five seasons in Tampa Bay before his release last offseason. He signed a one-year contract for up to $9 million with the Dolphins in March but never played a snap for the franchise after announcing his retirement in July.

“I think it was [general manager] Chris [Grier] and I talking, and I think overall, it didn’t present a competitive disadvantage for us, so it made sense in the timing of it,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of the decision to release Barrett.

He applied for reinstatement in late November and was open to playing for Miami. The franchise learned of Barrett’s intentions just days before the reinstatement deadline and eventually chose to go in a different direction.

The Dolphins enter the final two-game stretch with rookie Chop Robinson leading the pass rush off the edge with six sacks. While Miami could’ve used Barrett’s services this season, the focus now shifts to Robinson’s emergence and his pursuit of Jaelan Phillips’ franchise rookie sack record of 8.5.