Former Bruin Anthony Barr’s rookie season with Vikings ends in injury

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr’s rookie campaign will close with season-ending surgery.

On Friday, Minnesota Coach Mike Zimmer announced Barr would have a “very minor” surgery on his left knee, which will keep him out of the Vikings’ final two games at the Miami Dolphins and against the Chicago Bears.

“It sucks,” Barr said, according to KSTP radio in Minnesota. “But what am I going to do about it now besides get better and get ready for next year.”

Barr originally strained his knee in a loss to the Chicago Bears, 21-13, on Nov. 16. The former Bruin played in two more games before he was shut down in December, missing Minnesota’s win over the New York Jets, 30-24 in overtime, and its loss to the Detroit Lions, 16-14, last week.

Barr, 22, collected 70 tackles with four sacks over 12 games. He also forced two fumbles and recovered three, the biggest of which he returned 27 yards for a game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.

“He’s a great kid, I don’t think this will be an issue,” Zimmer said. “I think, really, the sky’s the limit. He’s been in every meeting and all that stuff and he’ll continue to be.”

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound linebacker was selected by the Vikings with the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. He was the first Bruin selected in the top 10 of the draft since Hall of Fame guard Jonathan Ogden was taken with the fourth overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme