The Minnesota Vikings traded veteran defensive lineman Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets just before the 2025 NFL season, sending him and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth-rounder and a 2027 sixth-rounder.
Phillips signed with the Vikings as a free agent in 2022 after spending his first four NFL seasons with Buffalo. Since arriving in Minnesota, he hasn’t missed a game, starting all 51 regular-season matchups and two playoff appearances.
Over those three years, he recorded 207 tackles, 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, seven passes defended, and two fumble recoveries.
Kevin O'Connell on trading Harrison Phillips
After the Vikings' final preseason game ahead of the 2025 season, O'Connell shared his thoughts on trading the veteran, as the staff will be cutting down the roster to 53 men.
"Obviously, a tough move to make, just considering how impactful he's been to the Minnesota Vikings and the organization on and off the field," O'Connell told reporters.
While the decision wasn't easy for the Vikings' coaching staff, he O'Connell does believe that Phillips will have an opportunity to display his veteran leadership that he showed in Minnesota on a Jets team that's looking to build a culture from the ground up.
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"First free agent we signed when Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] and I got here, and he was the first one we signed for a reason. The type of man he is, type of teammate, type of leader — that was recognized ultimately as him being the vote of the Man of the Year and then also voted the captain.
"Moves like that are not made without a lot of thought and a lot of making sure that I got a chance to spend a lot of good time with Harrison. I also had a chance to talk to [Aaron Glenn] and [Darren Mougey] in New York about the type of player that they were getting, and I know he'll have the same impact there in a new regime. As they build their culture up, Harrison Phillips will be great for it."