It appears that linebacker Anthony Barr had a change of hearts. Although Barr, who spent his entire NFL career with Minnesota Vikings, initially committed to sign with New York Jets, he decided to remain with his current club.
Vikings initially decided not to use the franchise tag on Barr since that would have a $15.7 million cap hit on their salary this year, making him the highest paid player on the team after quarterback Drew Breese. The 26-year-old negotiated a deal with the Jets after this but wanted to think about the decision a bit more. In the meantime, Minnesota decided to offer him a better contract, reportedly worth $13.5 million per season, which ended up being a successful move.
Anthony Barr entered the league in 2014 when Minnesota Vikings took him ninth overall in 2014 NFL Draft. After a solid rookie year, Barr had a breakout sophomore season in which he had 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, seven passes defended and one interception, which brought him his first Pro Bowl appearance. He went on to establish himself as a key part of Vikings’ defense in the following years while earning three more consecutive Pro Bowl appearances since 2015.
Barr struggled with a hamstring injury in 2018 but still managed to play 13 and be productive. He ended the year with 55 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and two passes defended.
