Two veterans of the Vikings’ defense remain unsigned free agents, but only one appears to have much of a chance of remaining in Minnesota.
Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of bringing back cornerback Patrick Peterson, but said linebacker Anthony Barr will be tough to bring back.
“He texted me the other day,” Adofo-Mensah said of Peterson, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “Pat Pete’s a great person, a great player in this league for a long time. … You want to make sure you respect a player of his caliber, his expertise in this league, but also the reality of the situation we’re in from a salary-cap standpoint. Again, those conversations are ongoing, and we’re trying to work through those problems.”
Adofo-Mensah sounded less interested in bringing Barr back.
“I had a conversation with him the other day,” Adofo-Mensah said of Barr. “That’s going to be a tougher situation to navigate. Never say never. Obviously, there are things salary-cap related with acceleration and things like that that made that kind of a challenging deal.”
Peterson is No. 85 and Barr is No. 93 on our list of the Top 100 free agents.