TAMPA, Fla. -- As coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht took turns at the microphone, summoning players onstage at a private celebration following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl boat parade last month -- the Florida heat and alcohol undoubtedly setting in -- several promises were made, and at the time, one could only hope they’d find a way to honor them despite what looked to be a bleak salary-cap situation, with an estimated $13 million to spend under the projected salary cap.
Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, wearing a creamsicle No. 12 retro Doug Williams jersey, who was poised to become one of the top free agents at any position, told ESPN after the boat parade, “We coming back -- back-to-back.