Two-time Super Bowl champion and former All-Pro linebacker Shaq Barrett has applied for reinstatement to play immediately after he had previously announced his retirement from the NFL in July, according to ESPN. However, that does not mean he is guaranteed to play this year.
Barrett is contractually beholden to the Miami Dolphins, who own his rights. NFL Media reports the Dolphins have elected not to activate Barrett off the reserve/retired list, meaning he will not play for Miami this season. The Dolphins also do not intend to release him, meaning Barrett can't play for another franchise as teams gear up for playoff pushes.
Given this development, it's worth revisiting Barrett's comments to the "Up & Adams" show back in late August where he told host Kay Adams that the only way he would come out of retirement would be to re-join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I wouldn't do it for any other scenario or any other team or anything like that," Barrett said at the time. "I've got a lot of history down there."
Barrett played five seasons for Tampa Bay up until he was released last March. The Bucs are currently 5-6 on the season, but lurking right behind the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) in the NFC South, albeit losing the head-to-head tiebreaker.
In his career, Barrett has tallied 400 total tackles and 59 career sacks in 131 regular season games. Last season, he played 16 games for the Buccaneers and had 52 tackles to go with 4.5 sacks.