LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Sean Silverthorn always watched fans at the Super Bowl in awe.

"Wow, look at those people, they’re at the Super Bowl. How did they get there?" Silverthorn said.

Silverthorn doesn’t have to wonder anymore. He’s going to Super Bowl 54 in Miami, thanks to Tampa Bay Bucs linebacker Shaquil Barrett.

Barrett made Silverthorn’s Super Bowl dream come true when the two met at the Pro Bowl. The sixth grader from Largo is a big Bucs fans. He thought he was getting an autograph. Barrett made sure he got a memory for a lifetime.

"I think it’s all about the kids," Barrett said. "I’ve got a big heart for kids."

And a big heart for the game. It took Barrett a while to find his NFL groove.

He found his groove this season.

Surrounded by the best of the best at the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, Barrett’s fitting right in.

"Just talking about the moves we saw each other doing in the game that was working and stuff," Barrett said. "It’s just an admiration of each other’s play style and just the type of people we are, it’s cool."

Before he led the league and set a Bucs new franchise record with 19.5 sacks, Barrett spent five seasons in obscurity with the Denver Broncos. But something happened this season.

"It was a huge leap," he said. "I’ve been doing it last year, but nowhere near at this level. It just feels like everything fell into place."

Barrett bet on himself when he signed a one-year deal with the Bucs last season. That gamble’s about to pay off big time with a lucrative contract. Head coach Bruce Arians has already said Barrett ain’t going anywhere.

And the six-year vet is fine with that.

"Taking advantage of this next step right now," he said. "I don’t know where it’s going to end up at but I’m confident that it’s going to be where I should be, which I think is Tampa."

Throughout this negotiation process, Barrett isn’t just thinking about himself. He’s thinking about his family.

"Definitely want to have some security, want to make sure my family never had to worry or feel any instability," Barrett said. "I want security. That’s all I want for my family. And to be able to do that would mean a lot."

Just like he gave new meaning to the Super Bowl for 12-year-old Sean Silverthorn.

"That was just really cool to see him and get his signature and this (holding up Super Bowl ball)," Silverthorn said. "That is really cool."