Sunday’s road game against the Denver Broncos is a special one for Tampa Bay outside linebacker Shaq Barrett.

It’s the first time he’ll be playing against Denver as an opponent after five years in the Mile High City. Barrett also played his college ball at Colorado State University and spends a lot of time in Colorado with his family in the offseason.

After the 2018 season, Denver didn’t didn’t have a chance of re-signing Barrett after drafting Bradley Chubb in the first round to play opposite Pro Bowler Von Miller. Barrett wanted the chance to start and decided to look elsewhere in free agency rather than stick around the Broncos as a role player. So he signed a one-year, $4 million prove-it contract with the Bucs and the rest is history, as Barrett became the NFL sack leader last season with 19.5 QB captures.

With Chubb missing most of last year with a torn ACL and Miller out this year with an ankle injury, Denver might have second thoughts about not re-signing Barrett, and he wants to give them a reminder again on Sunday about what the Broncos missed out on.

But of course, winning comes first.

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It’s going to feel good to go back there, try to get another win,” Barrett said. “That’s the most important thing – to come out as a winner and be 2-1 so we can be on the right page for setting us up for the rest of the season. I just want to show them that they did have the chance to have me and they let me go. I’m happy with my situation down here – I love it. It’s literally the best plan that could have happened and worked out.”

Barrett has yet to record a sack this season after his career year in 2019. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had an impact on the defense, though. While Barrett says the opponents haven’t done much different to try to prevent him from reaching the quarterback, he knows he’s got the talent to see his number increase soon.

“I don’t think it was anything too different last week,” Barrett said. “[I] had a couple of opportunities that I should have gotten there [but] I didn’t get there. I don’t think it was just me. I just have to worry about my rush plans instead of just doing my go-to moves. I have to set stuff up and [that is] what I feel as though I haven’t been doing. I just have to get back to setting moves up and working moves because I do have the whole game. I don’t have to rush and try to do too much in the first quarter [or] second quarter.”