Miami Dolphins players react to Shaquil Barrett’s sudden retirement from NFL

Miami Dolphins linebacker Shaquil Barrett announced on Saturday his decision to retire from the NFL, and Dolphins players Bradley Chubb and Quinton Bell reacted on Instagram to the sudden news.

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill also shared a reaction on X.

Bell, a fellow linebacker, played on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Barrett during the 2020 season. The former played in five of Tampa Bay’s regular-season contests that year, while the latter appeared in 15 regular-season games and four playoff games, including the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Barrett announced his retirement from the NFL after spending nine seasons in the league. He started out his playing career with the Denver Broncos, who signed him as an undrafted free agent following his stint playing college football at Colorado State University.

After seeing action in four seasons with the Broncos, he was a member of the Buccaneers for the final five seasons of his professional career.

While Barrett was a solid defensive player for much of his time with the Broncos — he forced seven fumbles, recovered three and had 14 sacks across 61 total regular-season games played with the team — he didn’t reach the apex of his career until he joined Tampa Bay.

Barrett enjoyed the most productive season of his NFL career in his maiden season with the Buccaneers. Across 16 starts with the squad in the 2019 regular season, he totaled career-highs in combined tackles (58) and solo tackles (45) while also accumulating a league-high 19.5 sacks.

Barrett finished fourth in that year’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. Only Stephon Gilmore, Chandler Jones and T.J. Watt garnered more voting points for the award.

Fast forward to Barrett’s final season in the NFL, the 2023 season, and he totaled 52 combined tackles, 33 solo tackles, 19 assisted tackles, 4.5 sacks and three tackles for loss in 16 regular-season games played with the Buccaneers.

While his NFL career didn’t span a very long time, Barrett should be remembered as someone who was one of the top linebackers in the league at his peak. He retires as a two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler. His departure is a tough loss for the Dolphins, but he’s clearly ready for his next chapter.