Nas Nfl Friday 004
It feels like Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah facilitates a new trade every other week. Just this offseason, he shipped demoted guard Ed Ingram to Houston for a draft pick and then turned around, using that pick to acquire running back Jordan Mason.
Vikings Defender Once Again Called Trade Bait
Most analysts also expect the Vikings to try to find a trade partner in the draft to accumulate more draft capital—a sensible move.
One that might be harder to envision is that of veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who landed in the trade rumors for a second time this offseason.
Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports, tabbed him as Minnesota’s trade bait.
“The Vikings signed both DT Jonathan Allen (three years, $51 million) and DT Javon Hargrave (two years, $30 million) this offseason, which surely reduces Phillips’ role in their defense. They might not be inclined to trade him, given the age of their two new additions and the fact that Phillips is in the first year of a smaller, two-year extension.”
After years of begging from the fan base, the front office finally fixed the weak interior defensive line by adding not only one but two former Pro Bowlers.
Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen will be considerable upgrades along the line, especially in the pass rush. Phillips has been attached to Minnesota’s roster since the 2022 offseason. He was the first bigger signing for the new regime around Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. Early last season, he received a contract extension.
Vacchiano added, “But if they draft or find a possible replacement, the 29-year-old Phillips might be worth dangling on the market. He’s a strong run-stuffer who hasn’t missed a game in the past three years.”
Sure, trading away a third wheel makes sense. But that’s not what is happening here. Phillips is still the primary nose tackle and top run-stuffer. While Hargrave and Allen aren’t bums in that area, they aren’t demons in the running game but more well-rounded defenders. Fans usually want defenders who rush the passer, but coaches and front offices undoubtedly appreciate those doing the dirty work, and Phillips has been doing that.
Phillips turned 29 in January, and in his three seasons with the Vikings, he played in all 51 regular season games and both postseason contests.
He has been overused in the past because there simply wasn’t anyone on the roster who could get after the quarterback, leading to a ridiculous number of 839 defensive snaps for the defender in 2023. In the other two years, he logged 675 and 694. The goal is probably to lower his snap count into the 500s, and Hargrave’s and Allen’s presence will allow him to focus on what he does best: stopping the run.
Of course, defensive tackle is still an option early in the draft, and if a guy like Kenneth Grant slips to 24 and the Vikings pull the trigger, they would suddenly have a logjam at the position.
However, it’s important to note that linemen usually take a year or two to get going, and having a deep rotation (see the Eagles in the Super Bowl) is a good thing. Phillips is, in addition to all of that, also somewhat cheap for a decent starter, playing on a two-year contract with an average annual salary of $7.5 million.
Trading Phillips doesn’t accomplish much outside of ruining a strong run defense and taking a team captain out of the equation.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
