In a surprising turn of events, Anthony Barr has backed out of his deal with the New York Jets and has agreed to re-sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Barr got cold feed and spurned New York in favor of a return to Minnesota. The Jets and Barr originally agreed to a contract worth between $14-15 million per year.
In order to keep Barr in town, Minnesota upped its offer and gave the 26-year-old a five-year deal worth $67.5 million and $33 million in guaranteed money. The contract can become worth $77.5 million with incentives, per Ian Rapoport.
The plan was to use Barr coming off the edge. Now, New York will head back to the free agent market in search of a pass rusher. With names such as Justin Houston, Derrick Morgan and Bruce Irvin still available, the Jets will not be short on options.
With Barr’s impending contract no longer on the books, New York now has some additional financial flexibility. According to Ian Rapoport, the Jets have made use of their newfound funds by boosting their offer to running back Le’Veon Bell in hopes of bringing him to the Big Apple.
