Vikings’ Trade Pitch Reunites Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores with Jaelan Phillips
The Minnesota Vikings got after Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1, and they could add to their defense with a trade for a player defensive coordinator Brian Flores knows well in Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins.
Flores was the Dolphins’ head coach in 2021, when Miami selected Phillips with the No. 18 overall pick of the draft.
Four years later, both teams could be ripe for the coach and player to reunite.
Vikings Trade Idea Capitalizes on Dolphins’ Situation
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested the Vikings as a potential landing spot for Phillips, and projected the edge rusher’s trade value at a “Conditional 2026 4th-Round Pick.”
The Vikings do not have a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft. They traded theirs to the Jacksonville Jaguars for left tackle Cam Robinson last season. This Heavy Sports Vikings trade pitch tweaks Knox’s suggestion, substituting two fifth-round picks, to reunite Phillips and Flores:
Vikings get:
- Jaelan Phillips
Dolphins get:
- 2026 fifth-round draft pick (via ATL, PHI, or SF)
- 2027 fifth-round pick
“Playoff hopefuls are often in the market for edge-rushers, and the Miami Dolphins might have one to spare between now and the trade deadline,” Knox wrote on September 10. “They have stockpiled an intriguing collection of pass-rushers that includes Bradley Chubb, Matthew Judon, Chop Robinson and Jaelan Phillips. If the Dolphins’ woeful opener is an accurate indication, though, this rotation could go to waste in Miami.
“Moving Phillips would be logical if the Dolphins don’t turn things around quickly. Though season-ending injuries have impacted each of the last two seasons, the 26-year-old had 22 sacks over the first three years of his career. Finally healthy again, he could likely net Miami a high Day 3 pick at a minimum.”
Jaelen Phillips Could Be Another Chess Piece for Vikings DC Brian Flores
After logging 20 starts and playing in all 34 regular-season games over his first two seasons, Phillips has played in 13 games across the past three seasons, starting nine of them. A change of scenery, perhaps via trade to the Dolphins, could be the fresh start Phillips needs.
He would not need to start, with Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard occupying the edges for the Vikings.
Phillips could form a dynamic backup duo with 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner.
According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-5, 260-plus-pound Phillips logged 22 snaps at defensive tackle and even had a couple of reps at the nose under Flores during his rookie season in 2021.
Vikings Draft Capital, Financial Outlook Loom Large
The complications the Vikings could face in cobbling together an appropriate package of draft picks to acquire Phillips in a trade with the Dolphins are only part of the problem. Phillips is playing on the fifth-year option of a four-year, $14 million rookie scale deal.
Per Over The Cap, the Vikings have $17.2 million in cap space entering September 13.
However, the Vikings are also projected to $53.7 million over the threshold in 2026, which could lead to some difficult decisions.
Perhaps Phillips is not the answer, but the Vikings must pursue any outside help judiciously if they choose to make any trades or signings. Their draft capital situation is also convoluted from a public information standpoint.
Insider Reveals Shocking Browns Decision on Deshaun Watson
The Cleveland Browns could have to make a decision on Deshaun Watson and his future with the team.
Watson is currently sidelined after he ruptured his Achilles again in January. However, he has shared videos of himself working out and looking good, which has some fans thinking he could return this season.
However, the Browns have Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders in the quarterback room, so it’s uncertain where Watson fits. But Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic believes Watson playing a game for Cleveland is a possibility.
“There is a world (he plays). Do I think that’s anyone’s intention? No,” Jackson said on The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. Do I think that it’s likely at all, even if we get closer to that world? No. But there is a world. When he went on Active PUP instead of Reserve PUP, that made him eligible to play this season.
“When he went on Active PUP again on August 27, when they made all these meaves, that means that anytime after Week 4, he is eligible to return,” Jackson added. “There used to be a deadline where those guys had to be activated after a practice window; there is not anymore. It could be Christmas week, and they could activate Deshaun Watson.”
If Watson shows he is healthy, he could force the Browns’ hand to activate him, and Cleveland would then have to make a decision. But Jackson believes there is a good chance he does play a game this season for the Browns.
Watson is under contract through the 2026 NFL season as he’s in the fourth year of his five-year, $230 million deal with the Browns.
Browns GM Not Ruling Out Watson Playing
Although Cleveland entered the season with three quarterbacks, Watson could force the team to make an interesting decision.
Watson has been focusing on his rehab, and he looks to be getting closer to potentially playing. However, back in April, Browns general manager Andrew Berry wasn’t ruling out Watson playing for Cleveland this season.
“It’s too early to say,” Berry said. “I can say Deshaun has done a great job of rehabbing. He’s been in every day. He’s progressing and that’s really our focus, but it’s too early to say.”
Before the injury last season, Watson was 137-for-216 for 1,148 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
Cleveland Owner Says Watson Trade Was a Failure
Although Berry wasn’t ruling out Watson playing for the Browns in 2025, Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam doubts he will.
The Browns made the bold move to acquire Watson in 2022 and handed him a massive extension. However, due to injuries and his poor play, the deal hasn’t worked out.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, Haslam spoke to at the owner’s meetings and admitted the trade was a failure.
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,” Haslam
Watson has appeared in 19 games for the Browns and has a 9-10 record.
