4 reasons why the Vikings restructuring Anthony Barr was brilliant

Minnesota overpaid with the last contract

How much is familiarity worth? For the Vikings, it was worth $67.5 million, with $33 million guaranteed over the course of five seasons. $13.5 million per year is a lot of money for a linebacker who has never had five or more sacks in a season or played a full 16-game schedule since 2017.

Minnesota being able to retain the services of Barr was a bit of surprise since reports were swirling that the New York Jets were willing to pay him more money to play on the east coast. Still, Barr made the decision to come back to the Vikings.

The contract Barr previously held wasn’t a horrendous one. It was mostly front-loaded and made it easy for Minnesota to move on from him if they needed to. The odds are that his previous contract wouldn’t be completed when the guaranteed money got smaller at the end of the deal.

With his new deal, Barr will make $10 million in 2021, which should help the Vikings make some more moves in free agency or retain some of their own players. The restructured contract saves money, saves frustration down the line, and allows Barr to bet on himself going forward if he excels in 2021.