What Does the Signing of Jordan Hicks Mean for Anthony Barr’s Future?
The first day of the legal tampering period went by relatively quietly other than inking DT Harrison Phillips to a three-year deal worth $19.5 million. As a result, this move also means the departure of one Michael Pierce from Minnesota. It ended up with Monday being a relatively quiet albeit still impactful day. Tuesday though brought a much larger splash into the free agency pool, even though the price tag isn’t quite as high. The Minnesota Vikings and former Arizona Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks agreed to a two-year contract with up to $12 million dollars attached to it.
Folks, this is spectacular value for a player that has been one of the more impactful inside linebackers in the NFL. Over the course of his three years in Arizona, the 29-year-old Hicks recorded over 100 tackles in each of them, including 116 in 2021. He’s also been a very capable run-stopper, recording 11 TFLs in 2019 and 2020. With the Vikings moving to a 3-4 defense in 2022 under Ed Donatell, this contract becomes even more valuable for Minnesota as they need to find someone to pair with Eric Kendricks in the middle. Minnesota couldn’t do much better than two guys with easy 100+ tackle potential that are versatile against the run and the pass.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”973316″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%20Brandon%20Scherff%20signs%20with%20the%20Jacksonville%20Jaguars” duration=”81″ description=”Veteran guard Brandon Scherff has been among the best players at his position in the NFL over the past seven seasons.The former top-five pick of the Washington Commanders, Scherff has earned five Pro Bowl nods during this span.He’s now finally getting paid like the elite guard he is. The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly signed Brandon Scherff on the first day of the NFL free agent tampering period.” uploaddate=”2022-03-15″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/973243/973243.m3u8″]
The burning question that comes with the Jordan Hicks signing though is this: what in the world does that mean for Anthony Barr? This is speculation, but it doesn’t seem like Barr will be returning. Hicks feels very much like a replacement for what Barr would have brought to the table in Minnesota and even at a cheaper price tag.
Barr is a very solid run defender, but 2021 brought some headaches with it. He recorded a PFF grade of 63.0. Hicks was slightly better here at a 64.4, but more importantly, he has experience in a 3-4 defense. We can’t say the same about Barr, and I would argue Hicks’ ability in pass coverage makes him a much better alongside Kendricks.
Finally, Hicks brings consistency with him to Minnesota. He has started 53 consecutive games and never missed a game with Arizona. Meanwhile, Anthony Barr has played 13 games over the course of the past two seasons. At the end of the day, Hicks is slightly older than Barr (by about eight months), but it seems like he brings upgrades in many other areas. This may mean Barr walks elsewhere in free agency.
