As reports floated around about the Minnesota Vikings exploring ways to add another veteran wide receiver to their roster, the team made a bit of a surprise move on Wednesday when they reportedly traded veteran defensive lineman Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Minnesota also tossed in a 2027 seventh-round draft pick along with Phillips, and the Jets sent back sixth-round selections in both 2026 and 2027. ESPN's Adam Schefter shared that the Vikings agreed to pay $3.7 million of Phillips’ $7.4 million salary this season as well.
It's definitely not a trade that anyone really saw coming, but it's possible that it could be the start of an even bigger move that Minnesota is currently working on.
Minnesota Vikings might have something bigger in mind after trading Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets
As it was mentioned previously, the Vikings are in serious need of some wide receiver help for the 2025 season, and it could potentially result in the team making a trade for a new pass-catcher in the near future.
It's possible that Minnesota's decision to send Phillips to New York is just the start of a plan that will eventually result in the Vikings acquiring additional help for their wide receiver room.
With Minnesota, Phillips was set to have a cap hit in 2025 of just under $9.7 million, and after his departure, the team was able to reduce that number to $5.5 million. It might not seem like much, but that cap space could be the difference in the Vikings landing a receiver who could make an actual impact on their offense this season.
Heading into Wednesday, Minnesota had $26.4 in cap space available, according to Over The Cap. If the Vikings are looking to make a big splash with a wide receiver trade (say Tyreek Hill?), then a little more breathing room, salary cap-wise, likely felt necessary.
Could the trade of Phillips just be a deal that Minnesota made to give some of the team's young defensive linemen more opportunities to play this season? Sure, but at this moment, it just doesn't seem that simple.