Jets pull off trade with former Aaron Glenn rival to land $15M defender

A former Bills third-round pick, Phillips signed with the Vikings in 2022 and has been a starter for the past three seasons. The Vikes extended Phillips on a two-year, $15M pact in September 2024. Phillips, 29, has been a reliable player in the Twin Cities; he has not missed a game while with the Vikes. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was able to get a close look at Phillips during his time as defensive coordinator for the Lions.

Tied to a guaranteed $7M 2025 base salary and $400K in per-game roster bonuses, Phillips will receive payments from multiple teams this year. The Vikings are picking up half that tab, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The 307-pound defender is due a nonguaranteed $6.89M salary in 2026. Phillips will give the Jets a starter-level talent in a D-tackle corps that appeared to be lacking one alongside Quinnen Williams.

The arrivals of Phillips and Briggs will complicate the previous Williams sidekick bunch’s paths to the 53-man roster. Second-year defender Leonard Taylor may struggle to stick on the final roster after doing so as an undrafted rookie out of Miami (FL) last year. Former second-round pick Phidarian Mathis could be in danger, too, after fizzling out of Washington midseason.

The battle for the starting job next to Williams before this transaction looked to be between Byron Cowart and Derrick Nnadi. Cowart, a former five-star recruit who transferred and was drafted in the fifth round in 2019, had a decent season in Chicago last year after a rough start to his career, while Nnadi had enjoyed double-digit starts in every year of his career up until last year, when he was demoted to a rotation role. Both will remain in the rotation, but the starting responsibilities may be beyond their reach with Phillips in the building.

Ultimately, both sides achieved what they needed to in this deal. The Jets bolstered a weak spot on the defense with a veteran starter who should help Williams’ star shine. On the other side, Minnesota will move forward with an incredibly capable defensive line while picking up some decent cap savings over the next two years.