MINNEAPOLIS _ A day after it appeared they would lose Anthony Barr to the New York Jets, the Vikings closed out the 2018 league year by making Barr the final piece of their multiyear effort to keep their defense together.
Barr, who reportedly had a verbal agreement Monday on a deal with the Jets, reversed course on Tuesday, agreeing to a five-year, $67.5 million deal to stay with the Vikings. The contract includes $33 million in guaranteed money, according to an NFL source.
Instead of heading to New York as a pass rushing linebacker, the four-time Pro Bowler became the second free agent in as many years to spurn a larger offer from the Jets, following what Kirk Cousins did last year. Though his deal includes up to $10 million in incentives, he'll return to a team that uses him in a varied role, where he's charged as much with occupying blockers' attention before dropping into coverage as he is with chasing down quarterbacks and racking up the kinds of statistics that often trigger incentives and larger accolades.
In accepting a late offer to stay with the team that drafted him, though, Barr delivered a surprising conclusion to a story that seemed fated for a different end, and kept the Vikings from losing both of their big defensive free agents, hours after defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson reportedly agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Browns.
Barr, who turns 27 next week, will get a chance to finish what he started with the Vikings after five years where he mixed stretches of dominance with periods of relative anonymity, posting 13{ sacks, 22 pass defenses, seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one interception (off Peyton Manning in 2015).
The Vikings gave Barr some work with their defensive linemen during training camp last year, in an effort to refine his pass-rushing skills under position coach Andre Patterson's tutelage; he posted all three of his sacks in December, and finished the year as the NFL's most productive pass-rushing linebacker based on how frequently he pressured the quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus.
Now, the Vikings will need to clear cap space quickly to afford Barr and attend to its other needs.
They had less than $8 million in available space on Tuesday morning after agreeing to a three-year, $12.45 million deal with defensive tackle Shamar Stephen. Defensive end Everson Griffen, whose $10.9 million base salary for 2019 becomes fully guaranteed on Friday, remained the most obvious candidate for a restructured contract on Tuesday, though it was unclear on Tuesday afternoon whether Griffen would accept such an offer from the Vikings.
Barr's reversal stole the headlines on a day where the Vikings saw both Richardson and Latavius Murray set to depart for other teams; the running back reportedly agreed to a four-year, $14 million deal to join the Saints.
