It’s unclear if the Vikings will give linebacker Anthony Barr a contract extension that keeps him in Minnesota beyond the 2018 season, but coach Mike Zimmer said on Friday that the team won’t be sending him somewhere else before the final year of his current deal is up.
During a Friday media session, Zimmer referred to a report that the team was looking to trade Barr. We were previously unaware of any report or speculation to that effect and Zimmer threw cold water on the notion.
Zimmer said, via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, that Barr is “unequivocally not being traded.” Zimmer added that the linebacker has missed practice time this week due to a “tweak,” but is expected to practice on Friday.
Barr is set to make $12.3 million this year after the Vikings exercised their option for a fifth year on his contract. The team has extended defensive end Danielle Hunter and wide receiver Stefon Diggs recently, which leaves Barr and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson as notable impending free agents in Minnesota.