Report: Miami declines to activate Shaq Barrett and won’t release him, leaving him retired

Shaq Barrett wanted to come out of retirement to play this season. The Dolphins decided they didn’t want him, and they don’t want anyone else to have the edge rusher either.

Miami faced a 4 p.m. ET deadline to remove Barrett from the reserve/retired list and move him to the active roster.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins didn’t activate him and won’t release him.

The Dolphins own his rights after he signed a one-year, $7 million contract before deciding to retire. The team’s decision Thursday means he will remain retired this season, unable to collect a salary or play for another team.

The Dolphins need help at outside linebacker, but Barrett has not practiced since retiring in July, and his decision to come out of retirement caught the team by surprise. According to Jackson, Barrett did not personally call coach Mike McDaniel before news broke in the media that Barrett wanted to play again.

Barrett, 32, has 59 career sacks in nine seasons playing for the Broncos and then Bucs. He spent five seasons in Tampa, including the 2020 championship season.