Arlington Renegades lineman T.J. Barnes celebrates his team winning the 2023 XFL championship. (XFL.com)
Arlington defensive lineman T.J. Barnes officially announced his retirement from football on Instagram on May 14, 2023, just after the end of the XFL season.
Terence Jariviz Barnes (born June 14, 1990) played professional football starting with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013, and ended with the Arlington Renegades in 2023. T.J. also played with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Legends, New York Guardians, and Massachusetts Pirates.
Barnes attended Enterprise High School. He was ranked as the 48th-best offensive tackle prospect nationally by Rivals.com and also was ranked by Rivals.com as the 18th-best prep prospect in the state of Alabama. Attending college at Georgia Tech. he was selected to the Sporting News 2009 ACC All-Freshman Team following his Freshman season. in 2012, he was selected as a All-ACC Honorable Mention and chosen to participate in the 2012 Raycom Collegiate All-Star Game.
On April 27, 2013, Barnes signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent, but was released on August 30, 2013. On October 9, 2013, Barnes was signed by the New York Jets to join the practice squad. In 2014, Barnes made the 53-man roster, playing in 6 games for the Jets and recording 4 tackles. In 2015, Barnes continued with the Jets, playing in 6 games and recording 3 tackles. The Jets released Barnes on November 12, 2015.
On November 30, 2015, Barnes signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he played in 4 games, starting in 1, and recording one tackle on the season. On August 15, 2016, Barnes was released by the Bills.
On August 17, 2016, Barnes was claimed off waivers by the Jaguars. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Jaguars. On October 20, Barnes was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, and promoted to the active roster on December 3, 2016. He was released by the Chiefs on June 9, 2017.
In September 2018, Barnes signed with the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football for the 2019 season. After the AAF suspended football operations, Barnes signed with the Carolina Panthers on April 8, 2019. He was waived on June 11, 2019.
Barnes was drafted in the 4th round during phase three of the 2020 XFL Draft by the New York Guardians. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Barnes signed with the Massachusetts Pirates on October 7, 2020, but announced his retirement from football shortly thereafter. His retirement was short lived as he was activated off the retired list on June 29, 2021.
On November 17, 2022, Barnes was drafted by the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. Barnes lost nearly 70 pounds to get back in shape for the XFL, weighing nearly 420 pounds around Thanksgiving. Barnes finished the 2023 XFL season with 10 tackles and 2 sacks.
Arlington Renegades defensive lineman T.J. Barnes celebrates a sack of D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu in the 2023 XFL championship game. (XFL.com)
Barnes’ sack of D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu in the final seconds of the third quarter of the XFL Championship Game caused Barnes to raise a fist and strike a pose.
Barnes is proud to retire from football after such a standout season that ended with a championship ring. “To think about where I was a year ago to where I am now, it’s something I didn’t think would even be possible,” Barnes told XFL.com.
Despite the possibility of continuing his playing career, Barnes is content to move on to the next chapter of his life. That includes spending more time with his wife Charlotte, daughters Zuri and Kennedy, and working on forwarding his career as a software developer.
“I don’t want to watch my daughters grow up over FaceTime,” he said. “I knew what was more important for me at the end of the day. I knew what my calling was and who needed me more.”
Looking back, Barnes will always remember certain moments in his professional football career.
“I’ve been able to do all these incredible things in the NFL,” he said. “I’ve played in London and balled out on Monday Night Football. But I never had the chance to go to the playoffs and win a Championship as an underdog. That was the cherry on top, so the XFL is definitely number one for me.”
Good luck to T.J. Barnes and all the best to him and his family in the future.
