FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Harrison Phillips was stunned by the news he was being traded by the Minnesota Vikings.
The veteran defensive tackle was a team captain, firmly entrenched in the community and part of a playmaking defense for a squad with high expectations this season.
But Phillips was headed to the New York Jets
, a team with a new coach in Aaron Glenn and a franchise looking to end a 14-year playoff drought.“Initial shock,” Phillips acknowledged Monday before his first practice with the
Jets. “And then once I got to kind of decipher and peel back the layers of the onion, I was like, this is gonna be a great opportunity.”
New York acquired Phillips and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick from Minnesota for sixth-rounders in 2026 and 2027 in a deal that became official last Thursday.
“You know, actually, Kevin O’Connell, when he told me I was being traded, kind of talked up what’s happening here,” Phillips recalled of his final meeting with the Vikings coach, “and gave me a little bit better understanding.”
O'Connell mentioned the Jets' solid defense and Glenn's background as a defensive coordinator, and also the chance to work with Eric Washington, New York's D-line coach who was with Phillips during their time together in Buffalo.
“There’s just so many parallels and I’m a very solid Christian man, a follower of Jesus,” Phillips said, “and so knowing that this is where God’s calling me to be right now, that’s all the answers I need.”
The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Phillips started every game during his tenure with Minnesota and provides a veteran run-stuffing presence next to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams — “Mr. Williams,” Phillips called him — on New York's defensive line that also includes Will McDonald, Micheal Clemons, Jay Tufele and Jowon Briggs, who was acquired from Cleveland last Thursday.
“I understand that it’s a business and understand the opportunity that I have here," Phillips said. "I think all of you guys know the arrow is pointing up here. And so I’m just really hopeful that I can come in and make sure that the arrow continues to point up and do whatever I can to play that part as well.”
Still, Phillips couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. He was the Vikings' first free agent signing when O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over in 2022. And he was signed to a two-year extension last September, an indication he was still in the Vikings' plans moving forward.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it was a little bit of a surprise,” Phillips acknowledged.
But Glenn said he has had his eye on Harrison for a while, and even wanted to add him to Detroit's D-line when he became a free agent after four seasons in Buffalo. Three years later, he was able to make it happen in New York.
“They really fit who we are,” Glenn said of Harrison and Briggs, “and I think they’re going to be really good for the locker room and for that room.”
Williams said he was “super excited” to learn that Phillips would be lining up next to him for the Jets.
“I've been a fan of his for a little minute, man, the things he's done at Buffalo and the things he's done with the Vikings,” the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle said.
Phillips recalls seeing how promising the Jets' defense was last season, when the Vikings faced the Jets and Aaron Rodgers in London — a 23-17 victory by Minnesota that cost New York coach Robert Saleh his job the next day.
“I wanted to sack Aaron Rodgers,” Phillips recalled with a smile. “Did that, that was fun. But no, they’re really coached well. They played really physical up front. And it’s nice to be on their side.”
Phillips was a third-round pick by Buffalo out of Stanford in 2018 and got a sense then of what he's getting himself into now by joining the Jets.
“I’ve just known how much this city wants to win,” Phillips said. “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, you just can feel the optimism amongst the players, the staff, the new wave of people that are coming in here. I’m just really excited.”
Glenn said backup QB Tyrod Taylor (knee), cornerback Sauce Gardner (calf), running back Isaiah Davis (ankle and wide receiver Allen Lazard (shoulder) are “on track” to play in the regular-season opener.
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