We were told that the opening of the tampering period would be exciting, and it only took a few minutes for a big domino to drop, as Josina Anderson reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher Shaq Barrett texted her: “I am going back to Tampa.”

Performance-wise this was a no-brainer for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are coming off a Super Bowl victory, and Barrett was a key piece to that. A year ago he led the NFL in sacks with 19.5. Barrett was coming off the franchise tag, but didn’t seem to hold any ill-will against the Buccaneers for them not signing him to a long-term deal the year prior. Throughout the calendar year, Barrett has reiterated that he would like to remain in Tampa—and that was before winning the Super Bowl.

Though this is a slam dunk re-signing, it wasn't guaranteed. The Buccaneers had many key players up for free agency this cycle, as Barrett was on the list with major contributors like Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, and more. The Buccaneers brought Godwin back on the franchise tag and came up with a deal for David before free agency hit. They also were able to clear even more cap space with the restructuring of Tom Brady’s contract.

According to Adam Schefter, the official numbers on Barrett’s contract are four years, up to $72 million with $36 million in potential guarantees. Greg Auman of The Athletic gave even more details, saying Barrett will get a base of $17 million per year with $34.5 million guaranteed at signing. He also mentioned that the structure of the deal basically makes it a two-year contract with guarantees. This is a huge win for Tampa Bay.

In the end, yes, this is a steal of a deal for Tampa Bay, who gets one of the top pass rushers in the NFL on a bargain contract. But it was also the place Barrett wanted to be; with the team that gave him the chance two years ago, and the one he can now win multiple championships with.