Has Anthony Barr already reached his ceiling with the Vikings?
By Dean Jones
Barr’s lucrative contract
The Vikings made a huge financial commitment to Anthony Barr when they decided to bring him back last year.
He penned a five-year, $67.5 million deal with Minnesota, which included $33 million guaranteed and a $13 million signing bonus. While this may have been on the steep side, it was necessary given Barr’s decision to pull out of a verbal agreement with the Jets at the 11th hour.
The Vikings tend to reward good play and loyalty with current roster members. Both can be applied to Barr, but he will need to show more in 2020 to prove he is worth the money.
If there is a sharp decline next season, then Minnesota is once again facing the prospect of trading or releasing a veteran player who failed to deliver once he received a multi-million-dollar deal. Any potential release of Barr in 2021 would see the Vikings take a dead cap hit of $7.8 million, which represents a savings of $4.5 million.
That might not be the ideal situation, but it would save Minnesota from paying more for Barr down the line. He is still in the prime of his career at 27, but one would think his potential to improve on the skills he has is now limited.
The Vikings will be losing some key veterans this offseason due to salary cap sacrifices and free agency, so Barr will be one of the top senior figures within the locker room when OTAs come around in the spring. Minnesota will be hoping this translates to more consistency from a player that is currently the eighth-highest earner on the roster.