Shaquil Barrett wants to stick with the Bucs.
The pending free agent reiterated his stance Wednesday at the Pro Bowl in Orlando.
"I don't know where it's going to end up at but I'm confident that I'm going to be where I should be, which I think is Tampa," Barrett told Scott Smith of the team's official website.
The feeling is mutual for the club.
In December, coach Bruce Arians said the outside linebacker "ain't going anywhere" when asked about Barrett's future with the team.
Barrett is among the 19 pending unrestricted free agents that the Bucs need to decide on in the near future, and currently is listed as the No. 5 free agent on NFL.com's list of top free agents of 2020.
Barrett's confidence is promising for Bucs fans, who are itching to lock up the star defender to a long-term deal. He joined the team in 2019 on a one-year, $5 million deal following five seasons with the Denver Broncos.
In his first season in Tampa, Barrett flourished, racking up 19.5 sacks and one interception -- despite the team's underwhelming 7-9 campaign. The performance will certainly help in negotiations this time around for the LB.
While Barrett's future (and others') remains up in the air, both parties are optimistic a deal will get done. Now, it's just a matter of when.
