The Minnesota Vikings have been very active over the past few days, making some final roster adjustments ahead of the season.
Like every team in the league, the Vikings have needed to make some roster cuts en route to creating a 53-man roster, but they’ve also made a few trades to get to that point.
One of their notable trades was moving on from backup QB Sam Howell, sending him and a sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles, gaining a fifth and seventh-rounder from them.
They also traded away DT Harrison Phillips and a seventh-round pick to the New York Jets, getting a pair of sixth-rounders in return.
Phillips had a strong run with the Vikings, and he signed a two-year contract extension in 2024, which was supposed to keep him with the team through the 2026 season.
However, the Vikings decided that they had the right pieces in place to move on without him.
Transactions like this can get lost in the craziness of the offseason and the weeks leading up to the regular season, but it can still be an emotional time for players and their families, who have to uproot their lives and move to a new city.
Phillips talked about this trade on Instagram, highlighting a few of his emotions surrounding it.
“Minnesota, you will always hold a special place in my heart. In our time here, so many of the biggest moments of our lives have happened,” Phillips said, on Instagram, later adding, “Joining the New York Jets is an opportunity I’m beyond grateful for. I’m ready to give everything I’ve got, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
He expressed his gratitude for the Vikings, indicating that he’ll fondly remember his time with the organization, while also talking about his excitement about joining a new team.
It will be interesting to see how he performs with the Jets and if he can help revamp their defense into a unit that opposing teams don’t want to go against on any given week.
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