“It was just because there were some things I was going through with my family,” Barber said at the NFL Combine about why he was forgoing his final two years of eligibility to enter the NFL. “I don’t know if anybody knows: My mom, she’s homeless right now.”
Barber’s mother had living arrangements, but they weren’t exactly ideal. So Barber took it upon himself to make something happen.
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He received phone calls from teams on the final day of the NFL Draft, but no one ended up taking him. He signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in hopes of landing a job as the third running back. He played well in the preseason, carrying the ball 39 times for 99 yards in four games while adding seven receptions for 55 yards, but the final position went to four-year veteran Mike James.
But Barber did get signed to the Bucs’ practice squad.
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While it’s not a 53-man salary, practice squad players still make a decent amount of money. Barber will earn a minimum of $6,900 for every week he is on a practice squad, and you can also add in the $850 for every week he was on the team in training camp. If he stays on the practice squad throughout the season, he’ll have a $110K+ salary, which would make the decision to leave Auburn well worth it.
