Shaq Barrett continues to hold out hope for a long-term deal but isn't holding his breath.
"Long-term will probably be pretty hard with the situation of the world right now. I think we're working on a deal, but it probably won't be long (term)," Barrett told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers slapped Barrett with the franchise tag this offseason. The unsure nature of next year's salary cap due to potential revenue disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic is making it harder for tagged players to get multi-year deals in 2020.
Barrett did clarify last week that he plans to sign the tag if the July 15 deadline passes without a long-term solution.
"We're just still trying to work something out. But the franchise tag, it wasn't like 50-50, like if I don't get something done I'm going to sign that for sure," he said Monday. "We're still trying to work to get something done and we were just going to wait as long as we could."
He added: "I will most definitely be here next year."
Playing on a one-year prove-it deal, Barrett generated 19.5 sacks in his initial season in Tampa, playing a full-time role for the first time in his career. He is set to earn $15.8 million in 2020. It's a good chunk of money but lacks the security that would have come with a multi-year deal.
"It is a little frustration because I did do everything I could do and I tried to make it as easy as possible, so there really wasn't nothing up in the air," he said. "But I guess that I didn't do as much as I needed to do, or as much as I thought I needed to do, so I don't mind having my back against the wall, but I do love security a lot more."
Barrett is experiencing what most tagged players under team control feel. The 27-year-old seems resigned to the fact that he'll be playing on a one-year tender -- unless a deal gets done in the next two weeks -- and hopes to hit the free-agent market next year after another big season.
