Any Anthony Barr Movement Would Be Very Awkward
The Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson expedited a sense of urgency on Anthony Barr’s contract and its relationship to the Minnesota Vikings free agency plan on Thursday.
To date, Barr’s contract was considered by most Vikings enthusiasts as “too big,” but there is no general consensus that he should be full-scale jettisoned from the organization.
As of today alone, though, that sentiment is gaining footing. Barr may not be a part of the Vikings 2021 roster. It is too early to declare that definitively, but seedlings are germinating. Keep an eye on it.
Behind safety Harrison Smith (130 games) and wideout Adam Thielen (105 games), Anthony Barr is the longest-tenured Vikings player on the roster right now at 87 games played. If all of this Barr trade-or-release chatter materializes, linebacker Eric Kendricks will take the third-most games mantle. He has played in 85 games with the Vikings.
While trading or releasing Anthony Barr will offer cap relief, it would put Minnesota in a butterfingered spot for 2021 – a season when the chips are allegedly all in.
Barr the First Man in The Zimmer Club
Head coach Mike Zimmer took over the franchise in 2014 and has since steered the purple ship to the NFL’s eight-best record. Barr has been at Zimmer’s side – unwaveringly – the entire time. Barr almost split for The Big Apple in 2019, but he reneged at the last minute to rejoin the Vikings. If Barr leaves now, it will seem that emotional about-face was all for naught.
Barr was the first Zimmer-related draft pick. The Vikings chose him with the ninth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He has been a stalwart in the middle of the Vikings defense for seven years – a unit that is usually magnificent, 2020 notwithstanding.
It is unclear what type of compensation the Vikings would receive in a Barr trade, if any. Should general manager Rick Spielman outright release the soon-to-be 29-year-old, he will save about $7.5 million in 2021 cap space and eat about the same amount in dead cap. Is that worth it? Well, that is in the eye of the beholder. The team could re-sign Eric Wilson and resume his employment with the Vikings. Or they could find somebody else – a tall task for the replacement of a man openly-admitted as an anchor of Zimmer’s defense.
Led to Believe Barr is the Backbone
Anthony Barr is a captain, a leader, and a major ingredient in Zimmer’s 4-3 scheme. Jettisoning his services would signal that the defense may not return to usual Zimmer supremacy any time soon. It is hard to believe that Zimmer would endorse this, unless a marvelous Plan B is enacted.
In 2020, the Vikings bumbled to a 7-9 record during a season that they were supposed to contend for the NFC North and beyond. Danielle Hunter missed the entire season, Barr himself missed 14.5 games, Michael Pierce opted out, Mike Hughes didn’t play much, and then Eric Kendricks missed meaningful games down the stretch. That last segment with Kendricks was the finishing move a la Mortal Kombat to the Vikings pandemic-season adventure.
Barr’s in-game traits were missed. He is a Swiss-army knife for the Vikings defensively – he stops the run, covers pass-catchers, and holds teammates accountable. What’s more, the Vikings do not blitz opposing quarterbacks all that much compared to other teams Yet, when they do, Barr is normally the player tapped for the assignment.
Barr’s impact may not be felt in statsheets, but he is a crucial component of Zimmer’s defense.
A Lowering of 2021 Expectation? Yikes
The implication for a Barr-less 2021 sends mixed signals. Are we all in or aren’t we – would be the sentiment among fans. Awkwardness floods the prognosis as most folks believe that 2021 is a make-or-break campaign for Zimmer. He cannot afford another bad, subpar, or even average season. He likely has to win a playoff game or get damn close in the Divisional Round if the team is lucky enough to steal a first-round bye.
Would Zimmer really relinquish one of his guys with his coaching tenure on the line?
Indeed, COVID cap casualties are not practices to be ignored. They are real. Riley Reiff may have been retained if the league was not beset by a virus-laden crunch to the salary cap.
But Barr departing is a mini-white flag of surrender. Zimmer and Spielman cannot allow any semblance of surrender in 2021.
The best resolution is for Barr to restructure, but it remains to be seen if he is interested in that.
