5 Minnesota Vikings who won’t be with the team in 2019
By Nik Edlund
Anthony Barr – LB
Anthony Barr was drafted by the Vikings in 2014 and he has been a very productive player for the team during the last five seasons. In his career so far, he has amassed 338 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 22 pass breakups, and one interception.
It has felt like the Vikings have known for awhile that Barr wasn’t going to be brought back to the team after the 2018 season.
Over the last few years, Minnesota has given new contracts to Adam Thielen, Danielle Hunter, Stefon Diggs, Eric Kendricks, Xavier Rhodes, and then Kirk Cousins. The Vikings opted not to extend Barr last offseason and now they just don’t have the money available to give him a contract that he deserves.
The young linebacker could demand quite a bit on the open market this year. He could really flourish in a 3-4 defense where he is allowed to rush the passer much more frequently. With his quick get-off and closing speed, he could be a double-digit sack man.
Teams that run a 3-4 defensive alignment will recognize this and they could bid against each other for No. 55’s services this offseason. This will only drive his number up to well beyond what the Vikings can afford.
Barr has been a great part of Minnesota’s defense over the last few seasons, but he’s due to get paid and it will be for an amount that the Vikings just can’t afford.