Anthony Barr Ahead of Unknown Future

He added that he still has lots of love for the fan base in what became a home away from home.

Barr recently was named the Vikings nominee for the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, in recognition of the tremendous impact he’s made on the Minnesota community. In addition to making a difference through his Raise the Barr foundation, the 29-year-old also has played a key part of the Vikings defense over the years.

He capped off his 2021 campaign by leading the Vikings in tackles against the Bears with 11. He also recorded two sacks of Andy Dalton.

Though Barr wasn’t surprised by a strong outing, he acknowledged the benefit of ending the season on a high note.

“I always knew the opportunities were going to come at some point. I’ve been close on many occasions. Sometimes you get the sacks, sometimes you don’t. That’s just kind of how it works,” Barr said. “I was able to get there a couple times today. One of them was when the quarterback runs a no-yard sack, which, I mean, they count it as a sack, so I’m not going to complain.

“It’s not your traditional sack. But whatever, I’ll take it,” Barr quipped. “I was happy with the way we were able to play.”

He and the Vikings defense limited the Bears to 90 yards rushing and picked off Dalton twice, including a pick-six by Patrick Peterson. Dalton finished the game 33-of-48 yards passing for 325 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions with a passer rating of 77.2.