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Anthony Barr

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/22

August 16th, 2022 at 7:04pm CST by Ben Levine

With the NFL dropping the roster limit to 85 players today, we’ve got a long list of minor moves to pass along:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/22

August 5th, 2022 at 7:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/22

August 4th, 2022 at 6:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Cowboys, LB Anthony Barr Agree To Deal

August 3rd, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to Anthony Barr for a bit now, the Cowboys are moving forward with a deal for the veteran linebacker. The sides agreed to terms Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

It’s a one-year contract worth up to $3MM, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links). The deal carries a $2MM base value, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.

Barr, who had spent his entire career with the Vikings, did have another option. The Broncos pursued him as well, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. But the four-time Pro Bowler is heading to Dallas.

The former first-round pick had a choice between two reunions. He had Broncos GM George Paton, previously the Vikings’ assistant GM, and Cowboys assistant George Edwards — previously Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. Currently a Cowboys senior defensive assistant, Edwards was the Vikings’ DC from 2014-19. The Saints also showed interest earlier this offseason, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com tweets.

A college edge rusher, Barr transitioned to an off-ball role in Mike Zimmer‘s 4-3 defense. Barr still enjoyed some pass-rushing opportunities (17.5 career sacks), but for the most part, he operated a traditional linebacker. The early-career momentum that led Barr to four straight Pro Bowls from 2015-18 has faded. Barr, 30, missed 14 games in 2020 after tearing a pectoral muscle. He also missed six contests last year, and the Vikings’ new regime moved on.

Dallas parted ways with Jaylon Smith last season, but despite turning down Leighton Vander Esch‘s fifth-year option, the team circled back to the former first-rounder this year (via a one-year, $2MM deal). Vander Esch, however, is one of the NFL’s more injury-prone players. The Cowboys also have rookie fifth-round linebacker Damone Clark set to miss most of this season because of offseason spinal fusion surgery. Second-year ‘backer Jabril Cox is also making his way back from a rookie-year ACL tear. The combination of injury risks here likely induced the Cowboys to add a veteran.

Despite agreeing to an offseason pay cut last year, Barr still recorded a decent season in his Vikes finale. He notched 72 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and five passes defensed. The UCLA product played a key role on stout Zimmer- and Edwards-led defenses during the latter part of the 2010s. The Vikings ranked in the top 11 defensively from 2015-19, leading to three playoff berths and one NFC championship game run. He will join a Cowboys linebacking corps headlined by Micah Parsons, a hybrid player coming off one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history.

Dallas’ injury issues notwithstanding, Denver had a more apparent linebacker need. The Broncos have not brought back top tackler Alexander Johnson, who remains a free agent. While the team did re-sign Josey Jewell, it has not invested much elsewhere at the inside linebacker spot. The team also moved 2021 ILB starter Baron Browning to outside ‘backer. The Broncos have signaled their interest in making a late-summer augmentation here via the Barr interest and a recent Joe Schobert visit. Perhaps Barr’s Cowboys decision leads the Broncos back to Schobert. Given the recent connections, it would surprise if the Broncos did not add a veteran at this spot soon.

Anthony Barr On Cowboys’ Radar

July 28th, 2022 at 12:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Anthony Barr has gone through a quiet offseason. Nearly five months after his Vikings contract expired, the eight-year Minnesota starter remains a free agent. The former UCLA pass rusher may have a landing spot in Dallas, however.

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said Barr remains on the team’s radar, despite the defending NFC East champions having begun their training campa already. Jabril Cox‘s health looks to pertain to the team’s course of action with Barr, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Cox suffered a torn ACL midway through his rookie season, but the Cowboys have been impressed enough with the LSU product’s recovery they did not place him on the active/PUP list to begin camp. Dallas rookie linebacker Damone Clark, however, is not expected to play until at least late this season. The fifth-round pick underwent spinal fusion surgery in March. Cox could push the recently re-signed Leighton Vander Esch for a starting spot, per Hill.

The team also, of course, has Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons at the position. Parsons is expected to continue as a hybrid performer, aiding the Cowboys’ pass rush. That would make for an interesting fit alongside Barr, a college pass rusher who has been used sporadically in that capacity as a pro (17.5 career sacks) as well. The Cowboys also signed former third-round pick Malik Jefferson earlier this month.

Jones’ comments, however, come after the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins indicated (via Twitter) Barr was no longer in the team’s plans. Barr, 30, has not been connected to any other teams this offseason. The four-time Pro Bowler has also missed time due to injuries in each of the past two years, going down with a torn pectoral muscle in September 2020 — an injury that led to a 2021 pay cut — and missing six games last season. A knee injury led to a four-game absence to start last year. The former top-10 pick finished the year with 72 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Latest On Vikings’ Patrick Peterson, Anthony Barr

March 24th, 2022 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

The top two remaining free agents the Vikings have are cornerback Patrick Peterson and linebacker Anthony Barr. According to Chris Tomasson of The St. Paul Pioneer Press, the former is more likely to remain in Minnesota than the latter. 

[RELATED: Vikings Considering Hunter Extension?]

As Tomasson notes, Peterson has spoken often about wanting to remain with the team. The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $8MM deal last offseason after a decade with the Cardinals. His level of play – 45 tackles and one interception in 13 games – led to a PFF grade of 63. That is a long way from the All-Pro standard he set during his time in Arizona, but it could be enough to earn him an extended stay in his new home.

“Pat Pete’s a great person, a great player in this league for a long time”, said general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. “You want to make sure you respect a player of his caliber, his expertise in this league, but also the reality of the situation we’re in from a salary-cap standpoint.”

As for Barr, 30, Tomasson notes that the acquisition of Za’Darius Smith could lead him elsewhere. Between Smith and Danielle Hunter – whom the team could be looking to extend, rather than trade, as once thought – the Vikings appear to be set at the OLB spot in their new 3-4 scheme. The four-time Pro Bowler has been with the team since 2014, but has missed 20 games over the past two seasons. A new contract would be complicated by the fact he already carries of dead money cap charge of $10.8MM.

“That’s going to be a tougher situation to navigate”, Adofo-Mensah said of Barr. “Never say never. Obviously, there are things salary-cap related with acceleration and things like that that made that kind of a challenging deal.”

At present, the Vikings likely have enough cap room to afford bringing back one, but not both, of Peterson and Barr. From a positional standpoint, the former has a clearer path to being a starter, which explains the team’s openness to a new contract. If that does come to fruition, Barr could very well be in Peterson’s position from one year ago, needing to find a new team after several high-quality years with the one that drafted him.

Vikings’ Everson Griffen Suffers Concussion In Car Accident, Out For Week 2

September 18th, 2021 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen sustained a concussion in a car accident this week and will not play in the team’s Week 2 game. The Vikings ruled out Griffen and linebacker Anthony Barr for Sunday’s Cardinals matchup.

Griffen’s accident occurred when he swerved to avoid a deer and crashed into a tree, according to the Minnetrista (Minn.) Public Safety Department (via KSTP). Griffen was on his way to the team’s facility. He is now in the Vikings’ concussion protocol. The recently re-signed pass rusher missed Minnesota’s past two practices.

The Vikings re-signed Griffen this summer, doing so after he spent the 2020 season with the Cowboys and Lions. Griffen, 33, played 41% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps in Week 1. Second-year D-end D.J. Wonnum started opposite Danielle Hunter in Cincinnati. Wonnum, Stephen Weatherly and rookie third-rounder Patrick Jones reside as the non-Hunter contingent of the Vikings’ defensive end corps.

Barr did not practice this week due to a knee injury that will keep him out for a second straight game. The eighth-year outside linebacker missed 14 games last season due to a pectoral muscle tear, and he has not played thus far this season. Barr, 29, agreed to a pay cut this offseason. He is now due for free agency in 2022.

The Vikings also ruled out first-round pick Christian Darrisaw for the second straight week. Although the rookie got in three limited practices, the Vikes are exercising caution here. The team’s would-be left tackle is working his way back from core-muscle surgery, his second of the year. Rashod Hill will continue to start at left tackle for the Vikings.

Vikings LB Cameron Smith Medically Cleared

May 30th, 2021 at 10:04am CST by Rory Parks

Vikings LB Cameron Smith might not be a household name, but his return to the practice field is still noteworthy. The 24-year-old, who missed the entire 2020 campaign due to open-heart surgery, has been medically cleared to play, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.

Smith has had a tumultuous start to his pro career. Despite less than impressive measurables, his instincts and collegiate production as a four-year player at USC got the Vikings’ attention, and Minnesota selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. He did not survive final cutdowns at the end of his first training camp, though he was quickly signed to the Vikes’ practice squad after he cleared waivers. He was promoted a few weeks later, saw action in a couple of games, and was waived again, only to end up back on the Vikings’ taxi squad before getting another promotion.

In all, he played five games in 2019, compiling eight tackles. Last August, during a COVID test, doctors discovered his heart condition. “COVID saved my life,” Smith said (Twitter link via Tomasson). The Vikings put him on waivers in a procedural move when they realized he would need heart surgery, and he subsequently reverted to season-ending IR (the club paid him his full $675K salary).

Now, Smith has rejoined his teammates, though he will still have an uphill battle to see significant burn on the defensive side of the ball. The Vikings are returning Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, and Minnesota also nabbed North Carolina LB Chazz Surratt in the third round of this year’s draft. Surratt is likely the favorite to land the weakside ‘backer job alongside Barr and Kendricks, but Smith will try to push him for playing time. If nothing else, he could carve out a role on special teams.

Speaking of Barr, the four-time Pro Bowler was also back on the practice field this week, as Tomasson tweets. Barr missed all but two games of the 2020 season due to a torn pec, and he reworked his contract this offseason. He will now be eligible for free agency next March.

NFL Contract Details: Fuller, Ford, Barr, Pats

March 26th, 2021 at 9:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

As free agency’s second wave continues, here are the latest contract details from around the league:

  • 49ers DE Dee Ford: Two years, $24MM. $11.6MM guaranteed, with $4.6MM of that sum due in 2022, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows of The Athletic note (subscription required). Ford’s 2021 guarantees ($7MM) include a $4MM base salary. Ford’s contract also includes a void year (2023).
  • Dolphins WR Will Fuller: One year, $10.63MM. Contract maxes out at $13.63MM, with $3MM available in performance-based incentives, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fuller will receive a $9.6MM signing bonus and is due a $990K base salary.
  • Vikings LB Anthony Barr: One year, fully guaranteed $9.4MM. $8.4MM signing bonus, $1MM base salary. Barr’s cap number will drop to $6.1MM. Contract includes $3MM in sack-based incentives and features two void years, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling (all Twitter links).
  • Patriots T Trent Brown: Fully guaranteed $6.5MM base salary, up to $2MM in per-game roster bonuses, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Contract can climb to $11MM based on the roster bonuses, $1MM for 90% playing time, $1MM for a Pro Bowl nod and $500K in weight incentives. Brown must stay under 380 pounds, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.
  • Bills DE Mario Addison: $4.1MM base salary in 2021, $3.25MM of that is guaranteed, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic tweets. Addison is also due a $1.9MM roster bonus. His contract will now void after 2021.
  • Colts T Sam Tevi: One year, $2.51MM. $1MM guaranteed, $1.5MM base salary. The deal also includes $1MM in playing-time incentives, Wilson tweets.

Details On Anthony Barr’s New Vikings Deal

March 15th, 2021 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

Anthony Barr has agreed to a pay cut in exchange for a shorter contract. Now, the linebacker will make a fully guaranteed $9.4MM in 2021 — a, plus $500K in per-game roster bonuses and a $100K workout bonus (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 

Originally, Barr was set to make $12.9M this year with a deal running through 2023. Now, he’ll be eligible for free agency in March of 2022. In turn, the Vikings will clear $2.9MM in cap space.

Barr, who turns 29 this week, made the Pro Bowl every year between 2015 and 2018. However, a torn pec limited him to just two games last year and many believed that the Vikings would release him this offseason to gain some much-need cap space. Barr hasn’t been stellar on his five-year, $67.5MM contract, but he has an opportunity to cash in all over again. When healthy and at his best, the former No. 9 overall pick is among the best linebackers in the league.

Roughly two years ago today, Barr flip-flopped on the Jets to stay in Minnesota. The Jets then parlayed that money into an ill-fated deal with Le’Veon Bell.

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