Jets had interest in Shaq Barrett before he signed with Miami Dolphins
Tell me where you heard this one before.
The New York Jets had their sights set on a player, and at the last minute, the Miami Dolphins swooped in and saved the player from having to spend his remaining days in New York New Jersey, playing for a team everyone hates.
It happened with superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
And now, according to new Miami Dolphins pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett, the same thing happened to him. In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb, Barrett talked about how he thought he was headed to the Jets before Chris Grier and company swooped in at the last minute and made an offer to the two-time Super Bowl-winning pass-rusher could not refuse.
Shaquil Barrett tells CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb why he signed with the Miami Dolphins over the New York Jets.
“So my agent was talking to me about potentially going to New York. And it was New York all the way up until, maybe, I don’t remember what day I signed. But it was New York until I ended up agreeing to terms with the Dolphins. They just came out of left field, for real.”
Barrett continued:
“I love the prospect of going to New York, but the Dolphins like they’re just more established as a team. They’re more proven at this point. And they got some good guys in the pass-rush room. So, I was looking forward to partnering up with them guys. And no state tax, that helps out a lot.”
We already know Barrett likes the rest of the linebacker room. However, the 31-year-old pass-rusher would later say that joining the Dolphins was the better opportunity because it allowed his family to remain up the road in Tampa Bay.
“I just think it was a little bit of a better opportunity. And then, just thinking of my family…that part ofactored in a lot as well. Not having to really uproot everything for one year. It would suck to have to do that. So I was happy. This is pretty much the best-case scenario. If I had to move, just going down the road a couple of hours…everything gets to stay the same upcoming year.”
No one is expecting Barrett to be an elite pass-rusher in 2024 — except maybe Barrett himself. Here’s what he said in that same interview with Gelb about still believing he’s one of the league’s top-edge rushers. (H/T: JoeBucsFan)
“I think I can still be top-10, top-5, top-2, top-1 edge rusher in the league,” Shaq said, “as long as I’m healthy, and I got like a full offseason now to train and get right — and make sure to get into this playbook so I won’t have so second guess anything — just read and react.”
Last season, Barrett started 16 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finishing the year with 52 tackles and 4.5 sacks. His role as the fill-in until Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are ready could end up as a godsend, not to mention the depth he can bring to the unit once those guys are healthy. I like the move, and finding out that Miami sniped him from the Jets is just icing on the cake!
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Ultimately, this feels like the next evolution of Melvin Ingram, Justin Houston, or Bruce Irvin to me. Maybe we can even throw Emmanuel Ogbah’s name into the fold. Still, for a team that looks to be without star outside linebackers Chubb and Phillips for the start of the 2024 season, Shaq Barrett should be the perfect remedy for Anthony Weaver and the Dolphins defense.
What are your thoughts on Shaq Barrett singing with the Miami Dolphins? Are you surprised Miami came out of ‘left field’ and signed the veteran pass-rusher? How do you feel about the Dolphins defense heading into next season? Let us know in the comments section below!
