Heading into the 2014 NFL Draft, no one was really sure who the Minnesota Vikings would select in their first year under new head coach Mike Zimmer. Some Vikings fans wanted the team to draft a quarterback with their top pick in 2014, but Zimmer and the front office opted against that, and instead, they used the ninth overall selection to add former UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr.
It turned out to be a great decision for Minnesota.
Barr went on to appear in a total of 107 games across nine seasons for the Vikings, and he was voted to the Pro Bowl four times in his tenure with the franchise
On Monday, the former Minnesota linebacker's Raise The Barr foundation revealed in an Instagram post that he is planning to retire from the NFL. Shortly after this was shared, Barr confirmed his exit from the league by re-sharing the post in an Instagram story and adding three emojis of a hand doing a piece sign, a heart, and a football.
Former Minnesota Vikings LB Anthony Barr retiring from the NFL
During his college career at UCLA, Barr developed into a dynamic pass rusher, as he accumulated 23.5 sacks in his final two seasons at the school.
Despite the skill of getting to the quarterback that he displayed at UCLA, Zimmer had him doing a whole lot more than just rushing the passer during his career with the Vikings. Oddly enough, Barr even wound up finishing his tenure with Minnesota with fewer career sacks (17.5) than he had in those final two college seasons at UCLA.
With the Vikings, Zimmer utilized him more as a do-it-all type of defender. In 2015, Barr fully embraced his versatile role, as he finished with PFF's fifth-best overall defensive grade, second-best pass-rushing grade, and third-best pass coverage grade among qualified linebackers.
Barr was an outstanding defender during his time with Minnesota, and he was a major part of some of the best defenses in the history of the franchise.
Outside of the Vikings fan base, his career might be more remembered for ending the 2017 season early for the quarterback of a bitter rival. But for those who cheered for him in Minnesota, Barr made plenty of other plays to provide the fan base with excitement.