When Shaquil Barrett was entering his senior season at Colorado State as a 20-year-old husband and father of two children, he would slide various construction jobs between summer workouts to augment the scholarship money that helped feed his family.
Fast forward five years and that family, which has added a young daughter, continues to be the “why” that pushes the Broncos’ outside linebacker, who has gone from an undrafted longshot to a starting pass rusher for the majority of the 2017 season, his third in the league. And as he prepares to hit restricted free agency following the season, which closes with the Broncos hosting the Chiefs on Sunday, Barrett knows he could be on the precipice of providing them with a bright financial future.