A cornerstone of the Minnesota Vikings’ defense from the last time they made a run to the NFC Championship Game has, officially, hung up his cleats.
Linebacker Anthony Barr, who was the first player drafted under the Mike Zimmer regime, has announced his retirement from the National Football League at the age of 33.
Barr was the 9th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of UCLA by the Vikings, and immediately made an impact on the Minnesota defense. He started 12 games for the Vikings as a rookie, with his season unfortunately getting cut short by injury. In 2015, Barr garnered the first of his four consecutive Pro Bowl berths with the Vikings after being joined by his UCLA teammate, Eric Kendricks, in the team’s linebacker corps.
In 2017, Barr put a perfectly legal hit on Aaron Rodgers that caused Rodgers to break his collarbone, effectively ending the competitive portion of Green Bay’s season. He received a lot of hate, including death threats, for the hit. He played a big role in the Vikings’ defensive success that season, a season that, unfortunately, ended with the Vikings losing in the NFC Championship Game.
It looked as though Barr would leave the Vikings ahead of the 2019 season, as he agreed to a deal with the New York Jets. However, before he could put pen to paper, he had a change of heart and re-signed with the Vikings on a five-year deal. The Vikings and Barr re-worked that deal to allow him to become a free agent after the 2021 season.
Barr then signed with the Dallas Cowboys, appearing in 14 games and starting in 10, but was not re-signed after the 2022 season. He was then out of football until the Vikings came calling again, signing Barr to the practice squad in November of 2023 and elevating him to the active roster for the final four games of the season. That was the last time we saw Anthony Barr on an NFL field.
For his career, Barr appeared in 102 games for the Vikings with 98 starts. He collected 496 combined tackles, 17.5 quarterback sacks, five interceptions, eight forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown, a game-clinching fumble recovery and return to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime in 2014.
Barr also made a significant impact off the field in the Twin Cities area, as his Raise the Barr Foundation has made it possible for many single parents to continue pursuing higher education in the hopes of improving things for themselves and their families. Our own Eric Thompson got an opportunity to look in on a football camp that Barr had done in the Twin Cities and talk to him about his other charitable endeavors as well.
Congratulations to Anthony Barr on his retirement from the National Football League after an outstanding career, the majority of which was spent wearing the purple and gold.
See More:
