Under his fifth year option, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr is set to make a lot of money if he plays out the 2018 season under that deal.
Ever since being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Anthony Barr has been an impact player whose athleticism and speed can change the course of a game.
Although Barr had a bit of a down year during the 2016 season, the linebacker has been named to the Pro Bowl twice and has accumulated 208 combined tackles in his three seasons with the Vikings.
Minnesota made the easy call to exercise the fifth year option on Barr’s rookie contract to keep him with the team through the 2018 season, but the cost of retaining him might be a lot more than many fans imagine.
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According to a recent post on the ESPN website, his option will set the team back a pretty penny for the upcoming year.
"“Barr had an off year in 2016, posting just two sacks and forcing only one fumble. And though the Vikings picked up his $12.3 million option for 2018 this week, his contract for next season and his play last season put him in an interesting position this fall.”"
The reason the amount is so high is because Barr was a top 10 draft pick. Because of that, he will play for the transition tag amount, making the sum rather large. However, the team can still work out a long-term deal with Barr before the 2018 season which could make the fifth year option moot.
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Whether or not Barr actually plays for the amount of the fifth year option is yet to be seen, but he likely will be a piece of the defense that the team will want to retain for the long-haul, particularly if he impresses during 2017.