With less than a month until their season kicks off, the New York Jets made some major changes. They are adapting the interior of their defensive line very late into camp. Earlier on Wednesday, August 20th, New York acquired Jowon Briggs from the Cleveland Browns. But, general manager Darren Mougey wasn’t done yet. In their second trade of the day, New York acquired longtime starting defensive tackle Harrison Phillips of the Minnesota Vikings. One season after signing a two-year contract extension, Phillips became a crucial part of the Vikings’ defensive line. Along with Phillips, New York will acquire a 2027 seventh-round pick. In return, Minnesota gains New York’s sixth-round pick in 2026 and 2027. It’s believed Harrison Phillips will be starting next to Quinnen Williams on the interior.
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
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Report: Jets Acquire Starting Defensive Tackle From the Vikings
With the New York Jets looking to adapt and improve their defensive line, they made some noticeable additions tonight. With Byron Cowart recovering from an ankle injury and veteran Derrick Nnadi unable to regain his Kansas City Chiefs form, New York was in dire straits to preserve the group. Fortunately, additions like Jay Tufele have been able to make an impact early. So, Aaron Glenn wanted to find someone worthy of being next to star Quinnen Williams in the trenches. Fortunately, his general manager made a big splash by acquiring Harrison Phillips.
The Jets acquire Seven-Year veteran Defensive Tackle Harrison Phillips
For some, Harrison Phillips is a familiar face to Jets fans. Before signing with Minnesota, Harrison Phillips was the 96th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. The Nebraska native played four years for the Stanford Cardinal, earning First Team All Pac-12 honors in his senior year. Phillips was a force on the Cardinal interior defensive line, recording 103 combined tackles with 7.5 sacks in 2017. Phillips early days in Buffalo were quiet. While having 30 tackles in his rookie season as a reserve, his sophomore year ended in tragedy after suffering a torn ACL in Week 3 of 2019. After fully recovering from the injury, Phillips impressed in 2021, finishing with then career highs in combined tackles, solo tackles, and tackles for loss.
Man, Harrison Phillips really did the job this week. Colts got very little movement on the interior pic.twitter.com/r7OMVqGAsB
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) November 5, 2024
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In 2022, Phillips signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth $19.5 million. Now a full-time starter, Phillips continued to grow. While starting all 17 games in 2022, Phillips finished the season with another career high in total tackles and six quarterback hits. Once Minnesota added Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, there was no going back for Phillips. What followed was an excellent year in 2023. Finishing the season with 92 total tackles, including 44 solo tackles, and three sacks. Despite recording one fewer sacks and only 56 tackles in 2024, Phillips interior pressure helped the Vikings defense when needed. He’s also provided an underrated football IQ and awareness with five recovered fumbles across his career.
Harrison Phillips will likely start next to Quinnen Williams
While moving a six-round pick, New York managed to add some needed stability on the interior of the defensive line. Last offseason, Minnesota rewarded Phillips efforts by giving him a two-year extension. At only 29 years old, Phillips is under contract until 2027. With a $4.2 million cap hit this year and a $7.5 million cap hit in 2026, New York can have a low-cost starter next to Quinnen if it works out. Should Phillips struggle, Phillips dead cap hit will be just under $1.7 million. It’s a worthy investment to set a foundation for what Aaron Glenn and Steve Wilks out of this defensive line. If Phillips can stay on the field, he should make not only Quinnen Williams job easier, but also the edge rushers as well.
Main Photo: [Matt Krohn] – USA Today Sports
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