Anthony Barr's season rookie season officially ended Thursday night when he was told he needs what coach Mike Zimmer described as a "very minor procedure" to repair a knee injury that has sidelined him the past two games.

Zimmer wouldn't reveal the exact nature of the injury, saying only that, "it's very similar to a slight meniscus tear.

"It should be nothing. It really should be nothing. He'll be getting going again. He's a great kid. I don't think it will be an issue at all."

Barr said he hurt the knee before the Panthers game on Nov. 30. He left that game because of the injury, but doesn't think he suffered any further damage by trying to play on it.

"I've been trying each week to go out that, but it hasn't been right," Barr said. "So it's time to fix it up. … Nothing is torn."

Asked to assess his rookie season, the ninth overall draft pick said, "I thought it was decent. I would say it was a B, B-minus. Something like that."

Asked what improvements he'll be focusing on after he recovers, Barr said, "We could sit here and talk about that all day. It's a long list. I just want to get better as a player, as a leader and hopefully make strides for next week.

"I don't think [surgery] is going to slow me down [for next year]. My season just ended a little earlier than everybody else's. Just got to continue to improve and I have the whole offseason to do that. I'm looking forward to getting back on the field."

Zimmer said Barr will have the surgery soon. He'll continue to sit in on meetings, as he has the past two weeks.

"He's going to be so much further ahead of where he was when the rookies got here," Zimmer said. "So I think really the sky is the limit for him."

Barr was leading the team in tackles with 99 at the time of the injury. He also had four sacks, four tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, including one that he forced and returned for a touchdown to beat the Buccaneers in overtime.

"He played great," Zimmer said. "He's a good football player. He's a good kid who studies hard and does everything right. He's very conscientious, hard-working, can't wait, he's already excited about getting this fixed and getting back to playing."

Zimmer said the Vikings will decide next week whether to put Barr on injured reserve and use his roster spot to acquire another player for the season finale against the Bears.