Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr‘s Los Angeles-area home was burglarized on July 12, local law enforcement told TMZ Sports.
“We’re told the four-time Pro Bowler’s crib was hit at around 2 AM … when, according to our sources, three men smashed through a rear window and then ransacked the place,” TMZ Sports’ report reads.
Barr, 32, was not home, but his security cameras captured the breach, according to TMZ Sports. There are no details of what was stolen, and no arrests had been made as of the evening of July 12, per TMZ Sports.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Barr played eight seasons with the Vikings, making four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2018, before spending the 2022 season with the Dallas Cowboys. He returned to Minnesota as a midseason practice-squad signing in 2023, eventually playing in four games for the Vikings.
He remains a free agent ahead of the start of NFL training camps later in July.
Brian Flores Lauds Vikings’ Late Signing of Anthony Barr
Barr’s presence on the 2023 Vikings was largely overlooked by fans given his late arrival in the wake of a devastating injury to Jordan Hicks.
“It’s a big loss, to put it bluntly,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said in a November 14 news conference, referring to losing Hicks to the injured reserve to a compartment syndrome that nearly cost him his leg.
The Vikings were riding a five-game winning streak despite losing Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins through that span.
While Barr was a rotational fill-in for Hicks, Flores praised Barr for his intelligence in being the “green dot” defensive signal-caller of the Vikings’ vaunted Mike Zimmer-era defense.
“I know the player well. First time meeting him today but I’ve watched a lot of film on him and the Zimmer defense. Very productive. Experienced. Smart. Those things I’ve heard from multiple people I trust,” Flores said in November. “His ability to pick up defense, understand things conceptually, so excited to get him but again it’s the first day. Different scheme. Different terminology. We’re excited to have him work with him and how it all shapes out.”
Barr contributed in his first two weeks in Minnesota, playing 26 snaps in two games before the Vikings’ Week 13 bye. He also played in the Vikings’ final two games of the regular season.
Anthony Barr’s Prospects for 2024 Season Include Reunion With Cowboys
Barr’s prospects of returning to Minnesota seem slim given the Vikings signed three priority free agent linebackers to accompany second-year star Ivan Pace Jr.
However, he could serve as a late addition to several training camp rosters, including the Cowboys, who hired Zimmer as their defensive coordinator this year.
The Cowboys also signed Barr’s college and Vikings teammate Eric Kendricks, who spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers after eight seasons in Minnesota.
Barr won’t be the heartbeat of the Cowboys defense like he once was with the Vikings. But given his relationship with Zimmer, Dallas could be an ideal fit for the veteran linebacker to be a contributor for the 2024 season.
