Re-grading the Vikings decisions during the 2019 offseason
By Chris Schad
Should Minnesota regret re-signing Barr?
One of the biggest storylines heading into last year’s offseason was the status of Anthony Barr. On paper, Barr had a tremendous season as Pro Football Focus pegged him first in pass rusher productivity rating among linebackers (13.8), 24th in tackling efficiency (14 attempts per missed tackle), and third with 16 coverage snaps per reception.
Although the numbers suggested otherwise, there seemed to be something off with Barr on the field. After not showing up for mandatory workouts in the spring, he continued to take extra time with a hamstring injury and a Thursday Night Football game in Los Angeles where he allowed three touchdowns to put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
Still, Mike Zimmer was not willing to let his first draft pick go and although Barr initially agreed to a deal with the New York Jets, he reached an eleventh-hour deal with the Vikings, giving him $67.5 million over five seasons.
There were whispers that Barr would have more of an impact after signing the deal, but 2019 saw the 27-year-old decline in almost every category with his PRP rating sliding to 6.9 and his coverage snaps per reception nearly cut in half at 8.8.
While his tackling improved to rank seventh among linebackers (20.3 attempts per missed tackle), it doesn’t justify what’s about to happen with Barr’s contract. After an initial cap hit of $5.6 million last season, it now doubles to $12.7 million in 2020.
There could be better days on the horizon for the linebacker as Dom Capers, who helped Clay Matthews become a dominant pass rusher for the Green Bay Packers, was added to Minnesota’s staff as a senior defensive assistant and he may have ideas to help Barr make more of an impact.
But the Vikings need more out of Barr to justify his contract and although there’s a potential out in 2021 that would save the team $12.9 million as a post-June 1st cut, it doesn’t look like a wise decision to pay up for familiarity.