Vikings trading Harrison Phillips has major ramifications moving forward, and it's going to help long-term

Wednesday night brought some splash, as the Minnesota Vikings traded 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, as there aren't enough roster spots for how much talent is currently 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 areas that help the Vikings.

The first of those is with the salary cap. While Phillips does give the Vikings some salary cap savings this season at $4.3 million, they did choose to eat $3.7 million in salary for this season, which helped instigate the trade with the Jets. most importantly, $7.5 million in cap space came off of the books for 2026, which will make a huge difference, as the Vikings are currently projected to be $65 million over the cap.

The other element is really interesting. The Vikings did get a sixth-r ound pick in each of the next two NFL Drafts while also giving up a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Right now, 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 end up exploring.

The trade gives the Vikings a multitude of options, and how they proceed forward will be fascinating to monitor.