Vikings trade Harrison Phillips

Only thing that makes sense is them clearing cap space to bring in a receiver.

Bummer though.

medaille wrote:
Only thing that makes sense is them clearing cap space to bring in a receiver.

Bummer though.

I think it says something about confidence in their young depth options. Might also supply them with the pick they want to use in a trade for a wideout.

Over the cap says vikings have 24.2 in cap space and 9 picks in 2026.

makes me wonder if Phillips move will lead to other moves.

Edit- Phillips cap number in 2025 is 9.6 and Vikings are paying 3.7mil in the move.

Does that mean their cap space is 30+ mil now?

Woah - Didn't see that one coming.

Stay tuned

Double WTF?

Strange

Waterboy wrote:

I think it says something about confidence in their young depth options.  Might also supply them with the pick they want to use in a trade for a wideout.

This.  We were simply too deep at DLine.  
And in the last ten days went from well-stocked to thin at WR

Shocked to see us trade one of our defensive captains and leaders. First thought is to not have to cut one of the younger players, but another thought is could we be looking at Wilkins who was the first draft pick for Flores at Miami and the two were reportedly close.

JR44 wrote:
Shocked to see us trade one of our defensive captains and leaders.  First thought is to not have to cut one of the younger players, but another thought is could we be looking at  Wilkins who was the first draft pick for Flores at Miami and the two were reportedly close.

Wilkins is a clown. Want nothing to do with that guy, although I suppose he could kiss the cheerleaders now. 

Just very strange for us to trade our starting nose tackle, who is great in the locker room and the community, who also happens to be coming off his best season as a pro on the eve of the freaking season. We essentially traded him for peanuts. We didn't get a receiver out of the trade....so, why!?

I'm going to guess this is about two things: 

1. The Vikings love their young depth on the line. Namely, LDR, TID, Redmond and maybe even Elijah Williams. There is also the fact that Hargrave can play nose. 

2. Cap space for a bigger than expected move at WR and/or DB.

and it's also almost ten million of next years cap

Um. Wow. Sure didn't get much for the guy. I guess this is mostly a 2026 salary dump. Also according to ESPN we get a 2026 6th and a 2027 6th and 7th. Kwesi trying to stockpile picks in advance of next offseason's fire sale?

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46034061/jets-deal-vikings-harrison-phillips-browns-jowon-briggs

Phillips was moved to 2nd string during joint practices-a clue.

They like the young guys and Allen and Hargrave look good, so finding room for Phillips to play was going to be an issue.  

And the NFL is a harsh business.  I liked the guy but the team is going to make moves that shed vet salaries and promote younger, cheaper talent when and where they can.

Viking1987isback wrote:
and it's also almost ten million of next years cap

Yep. I think we can pretty safely say, then, that this move has been in the works for some time. In fact, I think they knew going into free agency and the draft that they were going to trade Harrison Phillips, and this is likely why Phillips has been giving starting reps to younger players all camp long, and why he didn't play a snap in either preseason game.

MaroonBells wrote:
I'm going to guess this is about two things: 

1. The Vikings love their young depth on the line. Namely, LDR, TID, Redmond and maybe even Elijah Williams. There is also the fact that Hargrave can play nose. 

2. Cap space for a bigger than expected move at WR and/or DB.

100 percent.  When we signed Hargrave and Allen to big money deals after extending Harrison Phillips, something had to give.  We weren't going to keep three 30+ year old veteran DL guys with big cap numbers in 2026.

This trade definitely shows that the Vikings like their young depth a lot.  Phillips is a strong run defender, but doesn't give you much as a pass rusher.  Great dude and locker room presence.  Better to move him to a team that will give him a starting opportunity than keep him one more year, reduce his snaps, and push a younger, cheaper talent off our roster.

Wish him the best, he was a good player for us the past couple years.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

100 percent.  When we signed Hargrave and Allen to big money deals after extending Harrison Phillips, something had to give.  We weren't going to keep three 30+ year old veteran DL guys with big cap numbers in 2026.

This trade definitely shows that the Vikings like their young depth a lot.  Phillips is a strong run defender, but doesn't give you much as a pass rusher.  Great dude and locker room presence.  Better to move him to a team that will give him a starting opportunity than keep him one more year, reduce his snaps, and push a younger, cheaper talent off our roster.

Wish him the best, he was a good player for us the past couple years.

I like the guy for what he brought to the community and locker room...The DL depth has improved the last 2 seasons too. 

I read somewhere that Hargrave, Allen and Phillips all (+30) and each were accounting for $6mm plus against this years cap too. 

Could they have lived with that for 25? Sure, but as others said, this is an older team due to draft challenges. They will make a concerted effort to get younger and cheaper - starting now I guess. 

Much as I like the guy, he was on the clock as soon as they signed the 2 FA DL this year

Lets look at this objectively. We are banking on two 30+ year old lineman signed in free agency coming off major injuries. Phillips is 29 and has played in every game the last three seasons. The backups are completely unproven. Redmond flashed a little, but LDR was a scratch in every game, and Ingram-Dawkins is a mid round athletic flyer that didn't even start at Georgia. Taimani has reportedly been basically a non factor in camp. I would have felt a lot better starting a proven veteran run stuffer in Phillips over now having to rely on unproven players. Questionable decision for sure

supafreak84 wrote:
Lets look at this objectively.

I think the Vikings did just that.  They like what they've seen this summer from the two f.a.'s and young guys including Williams.  The kid made it into a Baldy's Breakdown--I think sneaking him onto the p.s. was no longer an option.

Phillips got caught in a numbers game as mainly a run stuffer on a higher salary making him more expendable than younger, cheaper guys.  I see it purely as roster construction and the fact they could get a pick and a little cap relief this year was just a bonus.

comet52 wrote:

I think the Vikings did just that.  They like what they've seen this summer from the two f.a.'s and young guys including Williams.  The kid made it into a Baldy's Breakdown--I think sneaking him onto the p.s. was no longer an option.

Phillips got caught in a numbers game as mainly a run stuffer on a higher salary making him more expendable than younger, cheaper guys.  I see it purely as roster construction and the fact they could get a pick and a little cap relief this year was just a bonus.

It's risky relying on a lot of guys with little to no experience who were mostly late round/UDFA flyers in combination with older vets coming off major injuries. Phillips at the very least gives you an experienced rotational piece who knows the defense and is extremely reliable. For a team trying to still win its first playoff game under the new regime and on the cusp of the new season starting...it's a strange move.

supafreak84 wrote:
Lets look at this objectively. We are banking on two 30+ year old lineman signed in free agency coming off major injuries. Phillips is 29 and has played in every game the last three seasons. The backups are completely unproven. Redmond flashed a little, but LDR was a scratch in every game, and Ingram-Dawkins is a mid round athletic flyer that didn't even start at Georgia. Taimani has reportedly been basically a non factor in camp. I would have felt a lot better starting a proven veteran run stuffer in Phillips over now having to rely on unproven players. Questionable decision for sure

I agree with you and if this blows up in our faces I’ll be critical of it. But the coaches are the one’s watching the players and HP is the odd man out. The playoff wins haven’t been there but outside the draft, this regime has earned my trust. Great teams know when to cut players loose. Pats and Eagles do it all the time. Im interested to see how this plays out.