3 surprise cuts the Vikings could make this offseason

1. LB Anthony Barr

Back in 2019, this move could have been avoided. Barr was reportedly all set to sign with the New York Jets, before the Vikings were apparently given an opportunity to make an offer. The five-year, $67.5 million deal they gave him was backloaded to reduce the early cap hits, but now Barr’s cap hit creeps over $15 million for 2021. A torn pectoral ended his 2020 season in Week 2, which started the remote notion that his time as a Viking would be done.

Eric Wilson capably filled in for Barr in 2020, leading the Vikings in tackles with 122. He will be a free agent, and he could cash in with a nice multi-year deal elsewhere. But it’s hardly a reach to say Wilson is a better (or at least more consistent) player than Barr right now, and he will be cheaper.

The Vikings would be left with $7.8 million in dead money if they cut Barr before June 1. A post-June 1 designation, which may not be viable, would spread the dead money and reduce the 2021 dead money to $2.6 million with $12.46 million in cleared space.

The Vikings should have let the first first-round pick of the Mike Zimmer era go two years ago. Taking a talented piece away from a defense that struggled last season isn’t ideal, and it would be surprising to cut Barr given Zimmer’s advocacy for keeping his key defensive guys together. But this is business, and Barr is now an excessive expense for what he brings to the table.