1. Anthony Barr – LB
2020 Cap Hit: $12.7 million
Speaking of dumb decisions, why did the Vikings feel the need to break the bank for Anthony Barr last year?
Barr was on his way to steal money from the New York Jets and then Minnesota was like, “wait Anthony, we’ll give you way too much money, come back.”
The veteran linebacker was considered one of the top defenders on the free-agent market last year, but it was mostly due to his age and apparent potential. Minnesota had Barr on their roster for five seasons and they couldn’t figure out that he wasn’t worth the five-year, $67.5 million deal they decided to give him last offseason?
The 27-year-old linebacker is a solid player. But solid isn’t worth breaking the bank over. Especially for a team like the Vikings who currently have barely enough money to buy something from Dollar General.
Mike Zimmer has stated in the past how important Barr is to his defense and the Minnesota locker room loves having the linebacker on the team’s roster. But for someone who has yet to meet the expectations of being a top 10 draft pick, it’s very hard to understand why the Vikings are paying Barr as much as they currently are.