Vikings Fire Up Biggest Reunion Signing in Last Three Seasons
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings will likely be without the irreplaceable services of linebacker Jordan Hicks for a game or two as the veteran defender is hampered by compartment syndrome.
And in a transaction that absolutely fell out of the sky, former Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr erased the former part on Monday, reportedly joining Minnesota as a free agent.
Vikings Fire Up Biggest Reunion Signing in Last Three Seasons
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “With LB Jordan Hicks hurt, the Vikings are planning to re-sign four-time Pro-Bowl LB Anthony Barr, per league sources. Barr spent eight seasons in Minnesota after becoming the Vikings first-round pick in 2014.”
The Barr signing marks the Vikings most significant reunion event since Everson Griffen rejoined the club in 2021 for a handful of games.
Interestingly, the Philadelphia Eagles also auditioned Barr on Monday, but the 31-year-old apparently balked at the Vikings rival and chose his purple team, the club that drafted him about a decade ago.
A member of the Vikings for eight seasons, Barr last played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022. Throughout the summer, the New York Giants, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints allegedly had some degree of interest in Barr, but no deal(s) came together.
Drafted by Minnesota in 2014 at the start of the Mike Zimmer era, Barr played 98 games in eight seasons for the Vikings, recording four Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2018. From 2020 to 2021, Barr missed 63% of all football games for the Vikings, and Minnesota’s defense suffered accordingly. In Barr’s first six seasons, the Vikings defense ranked #1 in the NFL per defensive EPA/Play. From 2020 to 2021 — largely without the services of Danielle Hunter and Barr — the franchise sunk to 23rd in the same metric.
Barr tallied a 59.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in Dallas last year while playing 609 defensive snaps, a noteworthy amount.
Moreover, for years — years upon years — Vikings fans envisioned a version of Barr who could be used to rush opposing quarterbacks, almost like a true-blue EDGE rusher. While the Vikings used Barr on blitzes during the Mike Zimmer era, he never really turned into a hybrid linebacker like Micah Parsons currently in Dallas or Ivan Pace in Minnesota. With Brian Flores, however, Barr could actually be tabbed with getting after quarterbacks. We shall see.
In his nine-season career, Barr has tabulated 553 total tackles, 48 QB hits, 41 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, and five interceptions. He was also nominated for a Humanitarian Award at the ESPYs last summer but lost to former MLBer Albert Pujols.
These are the Vikings inside linebackers at the moment:
- Jordan Hicks (injured)
- Ivan Pace
- Brian Asamoah
- Troy Dye
- Nick Vigil
- Anthony Barr
The Vikings take on the Denver Broncos this weekend on Sunday Night Football and are 2.5-point underdogs.
Justin Jefferson Is Anxious
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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