Vikings New GM Provides Update on Anthony Barr’s Future

At a rather insightful press conference on Wednesday following the acquisition of EDGE rusher Za’Darius Smith, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah provided an update on Anthony Barr’s future, who’s been with the organization since 2014.

And it wasn’t too rosy, at least on the prospect of Barr staying in Minnesota.

Barr, 30, almost left the team in 2019 for the New York Jets, changing his mind at the last minute for another three-year stint with the Vikings.

In 2020, Barr missed most of the season due to a pectoral injury but rebounded proficiently in 2021, tallying a respectable 63.0 grade from Pro Football Focus. He authored a handful of humongous plays that Minnesota’s offense failed to capitalize on, chiefly against the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams.

Regrettably, for Barr fans, those kind of words, “That’s going to be a tougher situation to navigate. Never say never. Those decisions are tough,” are generally used to signal a player’s impending exit. Because the Vikings are cash-strapped, allotting ample cap space to Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, and Za’Darius Smith, Barr is probably the odd man out. In fact, that exact sentence structure by Adofo-Mensah is the ease-the-pain way to say a player is unlikely to return — almost like verbiage used by a diplomat.

Plus, Adofo-Mensah signed Jordan Hicks from the Arizona Cardinals to pair with Eric Kendricks in 2022. Unless new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has funky plans for his new 3-4 defense, a spot doesn’t really exist on the current depth chart for another off-ball linebacker like Barr. In theory, Minnesota could slap Barr on the EDGE of the linebacking corps, but the team signed Za’Darius Smith for that on Tuesday.

Barr was the first draft pick of the Mike Zimmer era in 2014. Zimmer departed the franchise on January 10th, and it seems his long-time running-mate, Barr, could join the exodus a few months later.

This batch of free agency is likely Barr’s last-best chance to cash a noteworthy contract, and some team will find a way to pay and use the UCLA alumnus.

If this is it for Barr in purple, he will have played more games for the Vikings (98) than Jared Allen, Daunte Culpepper, and Chuck Foreman.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).