Denver Broncos 2014 Barrett went
undrafted in the
2014 NFL draft and received interest from the
Denver Broncos and
Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent. On May 10, 2014, the Broncos signed him to a three-year, $1.53 million contract that included a
signing bonus of $3,500. Barrett stated that his decision to choose to sign with the Broncos was due to their willingness to look past draft rankings. Throughout training camp, Barrett competed for a roster spot as a backup linebacker against
Steven Johnson,
L. J. Fort,
Jamar Chaney,
Jerrell Harris, and
Corey Nelson. On August 30, 2014, the Broncos waived Barrett as part of their final roster cuts. He was subsequently signed to their
practice squad after clearing waivers the following day. On October 14, 2014, the Broncos promoted Barrett to their active roster after an injury to starting linebacker
Danny Trevathan. Barrett was signed to the 53-man roster for the Week 7 game against the
San Francisco 49ers. He was once again signed to the 53-man roster for the Divisional Round against the
Indianapolis Colts, but did not play. Barrett did not appear in any games as a rookie in 2014.
2015 Barrett switched to jersey No. 56, but subsequently sold it to rookie linebacker and
2015 first round
Shane Ray for $2,000 a few weeks later. He reverted back to his rookie No. 48. After finishing the 2015 NFL preseason with the most sacks of any player on the team, Barrett made the final 53-man roster. Head coach
Gary Kubiak named Barrett the third string strongside linebacker to begin the regular season, behind
Von Miller and
Lerentee McCray. Barrett made his NFL debut in the season-opener against the
Baltimore Ravens. He recorded a tackle and a special teams stop in the 19–13 victory. During a Week 6 26–23 overtime road victory over the
Cleveland Browns, Barrett made his first NFL start after
DeMarcus Ware suffered a back injury. He finished the game with nine tackles (six solo), 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, a pass defensed, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Barrett finished his second professional season with 50 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four passes defensed, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and nine special-teams tackles in 16 games and six starts. The Broncos finished atop the
AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. Barrett tallied two tackles and one special-teams stop in Denver's three postseason games. On February 7, 2016, Barrett played in
Super Bowl 50, but left the game to be evaluated with a concussion. He returned to finish the game and the Broncos defeated the
Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10.
2016 In 2016, Barrett played all 16 games and totaled 36 tackles (20 solo), 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and two passes defensed.
2017 In 2017, Barrett appeared in 16 games (nine starts), totaling 37 tackles (30 solo), four sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt.
2018 and Barrett in 2018 On March 12, 2018, the Broncos placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Barrett. On April 23, he signed his exclusive rights tender. Barrett finished the season with 28 tackles, three sacks, and a pass defended in 13 games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first stint) 2019 On March 15, 2019, Barrett signed a one-year contract with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During a Week 2 20–14 road victory over the Panthers, Barrett sacked
Cam Newton thrice. With his strong performance, Barrett earned
National Football Conference (NFC) Defensive Player of the Week honors. In the next game against the
New York Giants, Barrett recorded a career-best four sacks and two forced fumbles, tying the franchise single-game sack record held by
Simeon Rice and
Marcus Jones, as well as becoming the first player in franchise history to record at least three sacks in back to back games. The Buccaneers narrowly lost 32–31. The following week, Barrett recorded his first NFL interception and a strip-sack on
Jared Goff which was returned for a touchdown by teammate
Ndamukong Suh in a 55–40 road victory over the
Los Angeles Rams. As a result of his strong first month of play (nine sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles at the end of Week 4), Barrett was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. During a Week 15 38–17 road victory over the
Detroit Lions, Barrett recorded five tackles and a sack, tying the Buccaneers franchise record for sacks in a single season held by
Warren Sapp. On December 17, 2019, Barrett was selected to the
2020 Pro Bowl, the first of his career. In the regular-season finale against the
Atlanta Falcons, he sacked
Matt Ryan thrice in the 28–22 overtime loss, breaking the Buccaneers franchise record set by Sapp for the most sacks in a single season with 19.5. Barrett finished the 2019 season setting new career highs with a
league leading 19.5 sacks, 58 tackles, six forced fumbles, two pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and starts. He was ranked 32nd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020 On March 16, 2020, the Buccaneers placed the franchise tag on Barrett. He signed the one-year tender on July 15, 2020, worth around $15.8 million. During a Week 3 28–10 road victory over his former team, the Broncos, Barrett had six total tackles and two sacks which included his first career safety on quarterback
Jeff Driskel. Barrett was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. In Week 9 against the
New Orleans Saints on
Sunday Night Football, Barrett recorded four tackles and a strip-sack on
Drew Brees that was recovered by the Buccaneers during the 38–3 loss. Three weeks later against the
Kansas City Chiefs, Barrett recorded a strip-sack on
Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the Buccaneers in the 27–24 loss. In Week 14 against the
Minnesota Vikings, Barrett recorded two sacks on
Kirk Cousins and four tackles as the Buccaneers won 26–14. Barrett was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list by the Buccaneers on January 1, 2021, As a result, he missed the regular-season finale against the Falcons and was activated on January 6. Barrett finished the 2020 season with 57 total tackles, eight sacks, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 15 games and starts. He recorded five total tackles and sacked
Aaron Rodgers thrice during the
NFC Championship Game as the Buccaneers defeated the
Green Bay Packers 31–26 to advance to
Super Bowl LV. Tampa Bay defeated the Chiefs by a score of 31–9 in the Super Bowl, giving Barrett his second Super Bowl ring. During the game, Barrett sacked
Patrick Mahomes once, his only tackle of the game. He was ranked 88th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 On March 17, 2021, Barrett signed a four-year contract extension, worth $72 million ($36 million guaranteed) with the Buccaneers. During the season-opening 31–29 victory over the
Dallas Cowboys, Barrett recorded four tackles and sacked
Dak Prescott once. In the next game against the Falcons, Barrett recorded two tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in the 48–25 victory. Two weeks later against the
New England Patriots, Barrett recorded three tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack in the narrow 19–17 road victory. During a Week 5 45–17 victory over the
Miami Dolphins, he recorded four tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. In the next game against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Barrett recorded four tackles and a sack in a 28–22 road victory. The following week against the
Chicago Bears, he recorded four tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery as the Buccaneers won by a score of 38–3. During a Week 12 38–31 road victory over the Colts, Barrett recorded eight tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Two weeks later against the
Buffalo Bills, he recorded three tackles and 1.5 sacks in the 33–27 overtime victory. He was named to his second Pro Bowl. Barrett finished the regular season with 51 tackles, 10 sacks, four pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 15 games and starts. The Buccaneers finished atop the
NFC South with a 13–4 record and qualified for the playoffs. In the wild-card round of the
2021–22 NFL playoffs, Barrett recorded an interception and a pass deflection in the 31–15 victory. In the divisional round against the Rams, Barrett recorded three tackles in the narrow 30–27 loss. He was ranked 86th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022 During a Week 8 27–22 loss to the Ravens, Barrett suffered a torn
Achilles tendon, prematurely ending his season. He finished the season with 31 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in eight games and starts.
2023 Barrett played and started in 16 games of the 2023 regular season. His biggest play of the season came against the
Chicago Bears in Week 2 when he intercepted a pass from
Justin Fields and returned it 4 yards for his only career touchdown, sealing a 27–17 win for the Buccaneers in the game's closing minutes. He finished the season with 52 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two passes defended, three forced fumbles, and an interception return for a touchdown. On March 13, 2024, Barrett was released by the Buccaneers.
Miami Dolphins On March 18, 2024, Barrett signed with the
Miami Dolphins. On July 20, 2024, Barrett announced via his Instagram account that he was retiring from the NFL, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. On November 26, Barrett announced his intention to return to the NFL and play for the Dolphins. However, Miami did not activate Barrett from the reserve/retired list, and he was waived on December 26.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint) On December 28, 2024, Barrett re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Retirement Remaining a free agent following the 2024 season, Barrett stated in December 2025 that he was "100 percent done for good now" and confirmed his retirement from professional football, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. ==NFL career statistics==