Former Vikings 4-Time Pro Bowler to Sign Deal in NFC South

Getty Linebacker Anthony Barr, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, is poised to sign a new deal with the New Orleans Saints.

Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr is headed south to join the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported on Tuesday, August 8, that Barr and former Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt are in line for new deals in New Orleans pending a couple of backend details.

“The New Orleans Saints are expected to sign both Kareem Hunt and Anthony Barr if both players pass their physicals and are in shape, per sources,” Russini wrote on Twitter.

Anthony Barr Had Pro-Bowl Career With Vikings Before Down Season With Cowboys in 2022

GettyLinebacker Anthony Barr #42, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, tackles wide receiver Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL game in 2022. 

Barr spent a successful eight-year career in Minnesota after the team selected him out of UCLA with the No. 9 overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Barr earned four consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl between 2015-18.

The linebacker parted ways with the Vikings during last offseason, eventually signing a one-year deal worth $2 million to join the Dallas Cowboys in August. Barr’s statistics fell off with the Cowboys in 2022. Across 14 games played, which included 10 starts, Barr put up 58 tackles and recorded one sack.

However, for his career, Barr’s numbers have been impressive. He has tallied 553 total tackles, including 41 tackles for loss, 48 quarterback hits, 32 pass deflections, 18.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, five interceptions and one defensive touchdown by way of a fumble recovery, per Pro Football Reference.

Barr dealt with injury issues down the stretch of his tenure in Minnesota. He played in just two games in 2020 and missed six regular season contests in 2021. Barr hasn’t played a full season since his third Pro-Bowl campaign in 2017. He will play this year, presumably for the Saints, at the age of 31.

Vikings Going Young at Linebacker Position, Hold High Hopes for Brian Asamoah II

GettyLinebacker Brian Asamoah II of the Minnesota Vikings participates in warmups prior to an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers in January 2023. 

A lot has changed on the Vikings roster since Barr took his leave ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has come in as the new general manager and hired Kevin O’Connell as the team’s new head coach. The new regime parted ways this offseason with former Pro-Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks, who played alongside Barr for seven seasons in purple and gold.

According to the Vikings’ first unofficial depth chart of the 2023 preseason, the team’s starting inside linebackers will be second-year man Brian Asamoah II and veteran Jordan Hicks, who the team acquired in free agency the same summer that Barr departed.

Asamoah had the best statistical season in 2022 of any linebacker currently on the Vikings roster, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). The advanced analytics website gave the rookie LB an overall player grade of 78.8, though that rating was earned in limited minutes.

Asamoah played in 16 regular season games for Minnesota as a rookie, though he didn’t earn a start. He tallied 17 tackles and forced one fumble last year across 119 defensive snaps.

New Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who is incorporating an aggressive style of play, will be leaning on Asamoah for considerably more production during his first campaign as a starter in 2023.