Minnesota Vikings First Quarter Review: What we’ve learned so far

The Vikings were right not to pay Anthony Barr

After the Cousins signing in March, the biggest question for many was whether the Vikings could sign all their young talent while staying under the salary cap. Rick Spielman and Rob Brzezinski laughed in the face of that challenge, handing out long-term deals to Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, and Stefon Diggs prior to Week 1.

All was not well in Valhalla after those signings, however, as Anthony Barr remained without a contract as the Vikings took the field. After four games, we now see why they came to that decision.

Barr has been brutal in the first four weeks of the season, being out of place on several big plays allowed by the defense and failing to make an impact on others. One year after making himself a cult hero by crushing Aaron Rodgers’ collarbone, Josh Allen made his mark on Barr by crushing his soul on a third-down hurdle. The urgency just doesn’t seem to be there.

Barr spent a lot of his offseason campaigning for a new contract by skipping a day of OTAs and lobbying in the media, but it appears that he might be worrying too much about getting paid rather than doing his job. That’s left a hole in the Vikings defense too big to ignore.