Harrison Phillips: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings held practice on Wednesday, in preparation for their final preseason game of 2025, Friday on the road against the Tennessee Titans. There were a number of veterans who did not participate.
It’s probably better that way, since the injury monster is seemingly picking off a new starter with every new session held lately at TCO Performance Center. But one absence in Eagan today had nothing to do with injury.
Defensive lineman Harrison Phillips has been a staple on the Vikings’ starting defensive line since he joined the team via free agency, prior to the 2022 season, starting all 17 games in each of the three seasons he’s worn purple — which totals to 51 regular season and two playoff games.
Minnesota Vikings trade Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets
On Wednesday, according to multiple reports, the Minnesota Vikings traded Phillips to the New York Jets in exchange for two 6th round draft picks, one in 2026 and the other in 2027.
ESPN sources: Vikings are trading DT Harrison Phillips and a 2027 7th-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 6th-round pick and a 2027 6th-round pick, pending Phillips’ physical.
Phillips now joins Jowon Briggs as the second DT that the Jets traded for Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/5FkVEHsox3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 20, 2025
The return feels light for a guy who has meant so much to this defense, but with no guaranteed money remaining on his contract after 2025, this move tells us that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was planning to move on from Harrison Phillips sooner than later. So, when he got an offer for two day three picks, Minnesota’s GM pulled the trigger.
During his three seasons as a Viking, Pro Football Focus has Phillips on the decline. He came to Minnesota in 2022, after posting the second best defense grade of his career (75.2) for Buffalo in 2021. In his first season as a Viking, Phillips put up a 72.0 defense rating.
Phillips on the decline… or were other options just better?
But since 2023, the now 29-year-old out of Stanford has been playing way more nose tackle, due to Minnesota’s lack of talent on the defensive interior. After lining up over center just 250 times during his NFL career prior to 2023, Phillips did it 249 times alone that season and 205 times again in 2024.
Not only did the move further inside hurt Minnesota’s run defense, but it crushed Harrison’s PFF grades too, dropping his overall defense grade below 60, to 59.7 in 2023 and 58.3 in 2024.
How long has Harrison Phillips been waiting to hit the griddy 😆 pic.twitter.com/a6xcecIWQM
— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) November 10, 2024
Related: Insider Still Doubting Kwesi, MN Vikings Defense…
If the Jets are smart, they will put Phillips back where he belongs, which is what we thought the Vikings would do, after the signings of Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen.
But instead, with those two additions, along with the emergence of youngsters like Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Taki Taimani and Elijah Williams… Minnesota decided they were better off without Harrison Phillips on the roster.
According to Thor Nystrom, the Minnesota Vikings are not done making moves between now and the end of training camp. They took multiple calls today on Harrison Phillips, but other interested teams were notified that he had already been traded to the Jets.
A different team asked about Harrison Phillips this afternoon in trade negotiations with the Vikings — they were told he’d already been traded to the Jets.
Kwesi has been burning up the phone lines this past week — this is only the start of the trades.
Buckle up. https://t.co/FLtjJWtBWg
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) August 20, 2025
Mentioned in this article: Harrison Phillips New York Jets Trade More About:Minnesota Vikings