NFL Free Agency: Anthony Barr to sign with New York Jets

When the Minnesota Vikings were giving out contract extensions to players last offseason, one of the names that was conspicuously absent from the list was that of linebacker Anthony Barr. Barr played last year on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, and made a little over $12 million, but the writing appeared to be on the wall for his future in Minnesota with the purple up against the cap.

Now, it appears that when free agency starts on Wednesday, Barr will be taking his talents east.

Numerous sources on social media, with Adam Schefter dropping the news first, are reporting that Barr is set to sign with the New York Jets when free agency gets underway on Wednesday.

Barr was the Vikings’ first-round pick, #9 overall, in the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s been a very big part of the Vikings’ defense during that time, and has made the Pro Bowl four times in his five seasons in Minnesota.

Terms of the deal have not been announced yet, but I can imagine that he’s going to get a whole lot of green from Gang Green. The Jets have a ton of cap room and the Vikings can’t compete with that as things stand right now, so Barr moving on makes sense.

This also means that the linebacker spot next to Eric Kendricks immediately moves up the Vikings’ list of offseason priorities going forward, whether they choose to address it in free agency or in April’s NFL Draft.

It appears that we’ve seen the last of Anthony Barr in a Vikings’ uniform, folks. He’s been a heck of a player for the Vikings, but given the circumstances, it’s not at all surprising to see that he’s moving on.