Buccaneers' Barrett says he'll sign tag absent long-term deal

Shaq Barrett clarified Monday that he will sign the franchise tag if he's unable to strike a long-term agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the July 15 deadline.

"Yeah, that's accurate," the Pro Bowl edge rusher said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I am most definitely going to be here next year."

Five days earlier, Barrett said he was "50-50" on signing the tender, which would pay him $15.8 million for the 2020 season but offer no security beyond that.

Barrett is coming off a breakthrough campaign in which he had a league-high 19.5 sacks while playing on a one-year contract for $4 million. He totaled 14 sacks over the previous four seasons with the Denver Broncos.

"It is a little frustrating because I did do everything I could do and I tried to make it as easy as possible ... 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," he said of his desire for a long-term deal. "I don't mind having my back against the wall but I do love security a lot more."

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