Former linebacker Antwan Barnes stays with San Diego

By: Joel Delgado / Sports Director

After having the best season of his NFL career to date, Antwan Barnes has made a home for himself in the sun and surf.

Barnes, a former FIU linebacker, will remain with the San Diego Chargers after signing a two-year, $3.2 million contract with the club on July 27.

He initially signed with the Chargers in October of last year and racked up 22 tackles and 4.5 sacks, both single-season career highs, in 11 games with the squad last season.

“It feels good knowing that they are a team that wants me to be here,” Barnes said. “It’s a place that can be a home.”

Because of the NFL lockout, players had to sit and wait until an agreement was reached before teams could sign, trade and release players. 

Like for most of the players, things were slow for the former FIU standout.

But when the lockout ended July 25, tough decisions would need to be made quickly as teams were hoping to get players into training camp.   

“It was a waiting game,” Barnes said of the lockout. “We just had to deal with it. But as soon as the lockout was over, things moved pretty fast.”

His style of play made him one of the players the Chargers were hoping to retain on defense for the upcoming season and also made him a target for other teams.

The New York Jets had made a push to lure the former Golden Panther away from sunny San Diego, looking for a linebacker who can effectively rush the quarterback. According to Barnes, the New England Patriots also made an offer for him.

“It was a hard decision,” Barnes said, citing the potential opportunity to play with Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan.

But in the end, it was San Diego that won out for his services. He hopes to build on the success he had their last season and put in a full season’s worth of play.

“I’m expecting a lot and the team is expecting a lot,” Barnes said, who reported to Chargers training camp on July 29. “It’s going to be a fun year.”

Barnes, 26, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, making him the first Golden Panther to ever be drafted. He played with the Ravens for three years before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

The Chargers signed him shortly after the Eagles cut him last October.

At FIU, Barnes was part of a linebacker unit in the mid-2000s dubbed the “Killer B’s” along with Keyonvis Bouie and Alexander Bostic. Over four seasons of playing time as a Golden Panther, Barnes recorded an FIU record 22 sacks and was an All-Sun Belt Conference first team selection in 2006, his final year at FIU.

He is the most recognized Golden Panther in the NFL and is optimistic that others from the program can follow in his footsteps at the professional level.

It’s simply a matter of time.

“It’s good to do something and do well on the field and let people know that there is talent at FIU,” Barnes said.