Vikings Make a Stunning Trade
We all know about GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s trade affinity, and he has done it again. While everyone was waiting for a new wide receiver to arrive, he trimmed his defensive tackle room by shipping a beloved defender to the AFC.
Vikings Make a Stunning Trade
Harrison Phillips, whom he signed in his first free agency period in 2022, will play for the New York Jets in the upcoming season, which is quite the shocking move.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported, “The #Vikings are trading defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the Jets, along with a 2027 seventh-round pick. The Vikings will get a 2026 6th-rounder (originally from Denver), and a 2027 6th.”
The Vikings receive a pair of sixth-rounders for a seventh-rounder plus Phillips.
More important than the late-rounders might be the cap savings. Goessling about that: “The #Vikings will pick up half of Phillips’ $7.4 million base salary this season, so they’ll save $3.7 million against the cap this year. The bigger cost benefit comes in 2026, when the #Vikings have more salary cap needs. They’ll save $7.5 million next year.”
The Vikings still have some cap space this year, but are significantly over budget next year. Phillips is the first casualty of that fact.
Phillips signed a contract extension a year ago. The 29-year-old played in all 53 games of the Kevin O’Connell/Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era and made 211 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Prior to his stint in Minnesota, he spent his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, so this trade is basically a homecoming for him.
He was a team captain for the purple squad and a locker room leader, which makes it hard to say “goodbye” to the veteran. Furthermore, he was also an off-field star for the Vikings, trying to give back to the community.
The defender was expected to form a dynamic trio on the defensive line with newcomers Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. Finally, the Vikings have addressed the underwhelming defensive line after years of failing to produce, and now the run-stuffer is axed.
As always in the NFL, a departing player is good news for another guy. In this case, Jalen Redmond will benefit the most. He was excellent late last season and even snatched the starting spot from Jerry Tillery. He has drawn some praise in training camp and was penciled in as the next man up.
The crew of The Athletic wrote about the deal: “In Minnesota, this move was made possible by the development of multiple interior defenders. The team signed experienced starters Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen this offseason. Backups Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Elijah Williams and Taki Taimani all have played well enough through training camp to earn 53-man roster spots. By sending Phillips to New York, the team can keep all of its young players.”
Currently, Minnesota employs these defensive linemen:
- Jonathan Allen
- Javon Hargrave
- Jalen Redmond
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
- Levi Drake Rodriguez
- Elijah Williams
- Taki Taimani
- Jonathan Harris
- Travis Bell
Of that group, the club can keep six or seven players. The top four should be safe; the other spots are up for grabs.
So let’s sum it up: The Vikings get some draft capital for Phillips, at perhaps the deepest position on the roster. They also save some cap space in the process, which was necessary, especially next offseason. On the flip side, Mr. Phillips departs after three solid seasons, leaving a leadership vacuum as well as an opening as the team’s top run stopper.
Whether that was a smart move or not remains to be seen. Expect the next trade to send a receiver to the Twin Cities, as reported earlier on Wednesday.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.