Vikings

What Does 2021 Look Like for Barr, Hughes and Hunter?

Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn (USA TODAY Sports)

The Minnesota Vikings are back in the thick of things in the NFC after winning two in a row and improving to 3-5 on the season. Even though they remain a long shot to make the postseason, it is remarkable that they’ve climbed all the way back into contention despite being ravaged by injuries.

Three of those injured players are major defensive contributors, and all three have a different standing with the team. What is the outlook for players like Anthony Barr, Mike Hughes and Danielle Hunter next season and beyond?

Anthony Barr

Barr is a tricky one because the Vikings just resigned him a few seasons ago. He’s due to make $12.3 million in 2021 which is a lot for a 28-year-old linebacker who doesn’t exactly light up the stat sheet, and the Vikings also have to factor in the youth they have at the position.

Troy Dye has started two games in a row and is improving. By the end of the year, he should be seasoned enough to the point where he’s ready to take on a starting role in 2021. Eric Wilson is an enigma in the Vikings’ linebacking corps. This guy has been playing great lately and has 54 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 3 interceptions, 2.5 sacks, and 3 pass breakups on the season. He’s a magnet for big plays and is a free agent at the end of the year.

The Vikings could very well be choosing between keeping Wilson, the rising star, or sticking with the veteran Barr. While Barr is going to cost a lot to keep, re-signing Wilson won’t come cheap either. The Vikings have a big decision on their hands when it comes to these two. If the team decides that Barr is too expensive to hang onto, he may already have played his last game in purple. If Mike Zimmer remains loyal to his first-ever draft choice, he’ll likely be a strong candidate to have his contract restructured.

If the Vikings go this route, it’ll likely be the end of Wilson’s time with the Vikings.

Mike Hughes

Hughes can only be considered a draft bust at this point. The guy has only played in 24 games in three seasons and made only seven starts. The time he’s lost due to injury is the major concern: He’s suffered an ACL tear early in his career and has had multiple neck injuries. Those are major injuries, and there has been a growing trend in the league where players are beginning to put their health first. Hughes may retire in his mid-20s if he believes, or is told by a doctor, that he’s better off not playing football again.

If Hughes gets the green light to play again, he’s not going to be handed a spot on this roster. He’s losing snaps to players like Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, and even Kris Boyd. Harrison Hand has also played well at times this season and has eight games to continue to improve. Hughes could come back and find cracking the depth chart much more of a daunting task than when he left the team. He will have to fight for a spot because these young players keep improving and gaining experience.

Hughes’ overall health and the growth of the Vikings’ young corners are going to make his outlook for the 2021 season a much murkier one. He’s not guaranteed a spot on the roster and it’s uncertain whether he is even going to be given the medical clearance to return to the team by the time mini-camps kick off in June.

Danielle Hunter

The Vikings have been without their best defensive player all season long, and it has shown. They have had issues generating consistent pressure and struggled to get to the quarterback even after acquiring Yannick Ngakoue. Ifeadi Odenigbo hasn’t stepped up the way many assumed he would in Hunter’s absence, and the Vikings’ defense isn’t close to being the dominating unit it has been in the past.

Hunter had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck, so his decision to miss the season was the right move, despite how badly it hurts the team. While all signs point to Hunter being healthy enough to play in 2021, there is one huge dark cloud looming over his return: Reportedly, Hunter has told the team he wants to be paid like the best defensive end in the league. He’s currently well under that mark, sitting at 15th behind players like Dante Fowler Jr., Jurrell Casey and Melvin Ingram.

If those contract demands are true, the Vikings could find themselves in a major pickle. While Rob Brzezinski has repeatedly signed players to extensions with virtually no cap space, him pulling it off to appease Hunter seems like a long shot. If Hunter is genuinely upset about his contract, he could hold out. If it lingers into the season, it could be two years in a row that the team is without their star pass rusher.

Obviously, the Vikings will hope this is something that doesn’t occur, but it could potentially happen. If it doesn’t and Hunter returns 100% healthy, there’s no reason to believe he won’t go right back to being the dominating and complete defensive end he has been every season of his career so far.

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