Jan 22, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Barr (42) during the second quarter of a NFC divisional round game at Levi's Stadium. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Former Bruins Star Retires From the NFL

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Scott Salomon | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 11:11 AM ET

First-year head coach Mike Zimmer could have gone in several directions with the ninth-overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Minnesota Vikings were said to have wanted to draft a quarterback with that pick. Instead, they opted to draft UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr.

Barr would wear the purple for 107 games through nine seasons in Minnesota. He earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and will go down as one of the best linebackers in team history.

Barr announced his retirement from the NFL Monday evening. His Raise The Barr Foundation took to Instagram to make the announcement. Soon after, Barr confirmed his decision by sharing the social media post. This would punctuate the end of a brilliant linebacking career.

"After an amazing ten-year career, Anthony Barr will officially retire from the NFL in just a few weeks. From the start, he used his platform not just to play, but to build Raise The Barr, turning his success on the field into real impact for families like his."

While at UCLA, Barr had a penchant for rushing the quarterback. However, he was more of a stay-at-home linebacker in the NFL. He was more than a designated pass rusher. Barr finished his Vikings career with fewer sacks than he totaled in his final two seasons at UCLA. He ended his career in Minnesota with 17.5 career sacks.

Despite the skill of getting to the quarterback that he displayed at UCLA, Zimmer had him doing a whole lot more than just rushing the passer during his career with the Vikings. Oddly enough, Barr even wound up finishing his tenure with Minnesota with fewer career sacks (17.5) than he had in those final two college seasons at UCLA.

Barr would evolve into a solid all-around, three-down football player. In 2015, Barr scored high grades from Pro Football Focus. He finished with the fifth-best overall defensive grade, second-best pass-rushing grade and third-best pass coverage grade for linebackers that qualified based on their number of snaps.

He would anchor some of the best Vikings defenses during his career. He will go down as one of the best defenders in team history. One could even say his body of work in Minnesota could rival any other linebacker that played during the same era.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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