Surprised, shocked.
Those were some of the words defensive tackle Harrison Phillips used to describe his emotions after he found out the Vikings traded him to the Jets.
But it was Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell who put Phillips at ease about the situation he was coming into.
“He told me I was being traded, kind of talked up what’s happening here,” Phillips said. He gave me a little bit better understanding. It’s been a few years since I’ve kept up with the AFC East news, I used to play, Buffalo for four years and I’ve just known how much this city wants to win.
“And I’ve known that for a long time. I’ve known about Jets fans for a long time playing against these guys twice a year, for four years. Man, like I said, you just can feel the optimism amongst the players, the staff, the new wave of people that are coming in here. And so, like I said, I’ve just really excited.
“Initial shock. And then once I got to kind of decipher and peel back the layers of the onion, I was like, this is is gonna be a great opportunity.”
So what specifically did O’Connell say to Phillips about the Jets?
“Number one, who I get to play alongside,” Phillips said. “We’ve got some unbelievably talented people on this defense, young linebackers who have proved themselves directly next to me in Mr. [Quinnen] Williams. You know, it’s just there’s a lot of fun things going and you know, the pieces are all starting to come together. AG, [Aaron Glenn] as a defensive head coach, been a few years since I had one again. All the way through our whole staff. I was with [Jets defensive line coach] Eric Washington, the defensive line coach back in Buffalo.
“So there’s just so many parallels, and you know, I’m a very solid Christian man, and a follower of Jesus, and so knowing that this is where God’s calling me to be right now, that’s all the answers I need.”
The Jets traded two sixth-round picks to the Vikings in exchange for Phillips and a seventh round pick. The defensive tackle spot opposite Williams has been a signifgant need for a while. That’s why the Jets acquired Phillips and Jowon Briggs in a separate trade with the Browns.
During the offseason, the Jets thought they addressed the spot after signing Derrick Nnadi to a one-year, $1.4 million contract in March. But he was a nonfactor throughout training camp and the preseason. That led to the Jets trading Nnadi to the Chiefs on Sunday, in addition to swapping a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick for a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick.
Phillips, 29, who started 51 games for the Vikings during the previous three seasons, is not only durable, but effecitive in stopping the run. He helped anchor a Minnesota defense that finished second in rushing yards allowed last year (93.4 yards allowed) and eighth in 2023 (98.7).
Stopping the run has been a source of issues for the Jets in recent seasons. They ranked 17th in rush defense last season (121.1), a year after finishing 25th in that area (124).
Glenn has been a fan of Phillips for a while. When he was the Lions’ defensive coordinator, he wanted the team to sign Phillips as a free agent following his four years with the Bills. But he signed with the Vikings instead.
Last season, Phillips finished with 56 tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss. In 2023, he finished with a career-high 92 tackles and three sacks. That led to Phillips signing a contract extension with the Vikings last September. The Vikings agreed to pay $3.7 million of Phillips’ $7.4 million salary for the 2025 season.
At 6-3, 307 pounds, Phillips is a strong defender who will be able to take advantage of when opposing teams want to double-team Williams in the middle. In previous years, when Williams was double-teamed, he was forced to take on those responsibilities, which have limited his sack production the last two years.
Williams has registered a combined 11.5 sacks over the last two seasons. In 2022, Williams finished with 12 sacks and was named to his first of three consecutive Pro Bowls.
“I’ve been a fan of his for a little minute, man,” Williams said about Phillips. “The things that he did at Buffalo and the things that he did with the Vikings with that successful defense and the things that they did great last year.
“I was super excited to bring him in and to teach us some things, teach me some things and help the defense be where we know we can be.”
Phillips is going from a Vikings team that won 14 games last season to a Jets team that is aspiring to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. But he saw first-hand Glenn and Dan Campbell turn the Lions from one of the NFL’s laughing stocks to having the best record in the league last season (15-2).
Unlike the previous two seasons, the Jets aren’t entering this season with high expectations. But Phillips believes Glenn and the coaching staff can win immediately.
“I don’t want to put labels on anything like that, I guess, but I would say this is a win-now mindset,” he said. “You know, we are a great football team. I think that it’s been clear from the time that I’ve got here.
“Just looking up and down the roster, I’ve been watching some of these practices, these captain practices. There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle there. Every season is completely different, and you need to find ways on how you all come together.
“It’s not always the most talented team that wins football games. I think it’s the most connected team that wins football games. I just was walking with a rookie down the hallway and I asked him, ‘What do you think the best thing about the Jets is? I’m new here. What’s our secret sauce?’ And he said, ‘How great the people are.’ And I think that the people in the football are probably the two most important things in the sport.”
