Vikings trading Harrison Phillips has major ramifications moving forward, and it’s going to help long-term
Wednesday night brought a splash with the Minnesota Vikings trading their starting nose tackle, Harrison Phillips, to the New York Jets.
The trade came somewhat out of nowhere right before the last preseason game on Friday against the Tennessee Titans. Overall, a trade involving a defensive lineman shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise since there aren’t enough roster spots for how much talent is on the roster. Players like Elijah Williams, who have balled out during training camp, were more likely to be left out in the dust, but moving on from Phillips opens up space.
Harrison Phillips trade opens up different possibilities
It’s not just about the roster spot that opens up on the defensive line; there are other things that will help the Vikings.
The first of those is with the salary cap. While Phillips does provide the Vikings with some salary cap savings this season ($4.3 million), they chose to pay $3.7 million in salary for this season, which helped facilitate the trade with the Jets. Most importantly, $7.5 million in cap space has come off the books for 2026, which will make a significant difference because the Vikings are projected to be $65 million over the cap.
The other element is really interesting. The Vikings got a sixth-round pick in each of the next two NFL drafts while also giving up a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Currently, the Vikings have seven guaranteed selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, with up to three compensatory selections likely being awarded in March.
- 1st
- 2nd
- 3rd
- 3rd (projected compensatory selection)
- 4th (projected compensatory selection)
- 5th
- 6th (from New York Jets)
- 7th
- 7th (from Houston Texans)
- 7th (potential compensatory selection)
Now, the Vikings can’t end up trading the compensatory selections, but there is the idea of trading for a wide receiver. With an extra sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft, that could open the door to bring in a wide receiver, maybe someone like Adam Thielen? It’s a possibility that the Vikings could explore.
The trade gives the Vikings a multitude of options, and how they proceed forward will be fascinating to monitor.
