Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr’s 2020 season ended after only 94 defensive snaps. He tore his right pectoral muscle while tackling Colts running back Jonathan Taylor in Week 2.
That would have served as his final play as a Viking after seven seasons and four Pro Bowls if Barr hadn’t agreed to a pay cut.
“I kind of didn’t want to go out like that,” Barr told reporters Wednesday in his first interview since before the injury, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I didn’t want my last game being the one in which I got hurt and then missing an entire year. I didn’t want that to be my last memory as a Minnesota Viking, so that played a big factor in returning and taking the pay cut to be back.”
Barr, 29, agreed to have his $12.9 million salary reduced to $10 million for this season, per Tomasson, but the final two years of Barr’s contract were voided. That means he is scheduled to become a free agent in 2022.
“[The injury] would be a pretty sour note to end on, and with all the great memories I have, I think that one would be the most lasting,” Barr said. “So, I tried to put that in the back seat and move forward and look forward to a healthier and productive season.”