The Vikings traded defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Jets on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. The Jets will send a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Vikings.
Phillips becomes the second defensive tackle the Jets acquired Wednesday after an earlier trade with the Browns for Jowon Briggs.
Phillips spent his first four seasons with the Bills before signing a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Vikings in 2022. He is under contract through 2026 after signing a two-year, $15 million contract extension with the Vikings in 2024.
The Vikings agreed to pay half of Phillips’ $7.4 million salary this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Phillips, 29, has started 51 possible games the past three seasons for the Vikings, totaling 207 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and seven pass breakups.
The Vikings are already looking for help at receiver. They’re currently holding their breath as to the possibility that they could be looking for more.
Via Alec Lewis of TheAthletic.com, receivers Jordan Addison and Tai Felton exited practice and watched from the sidelines with apparent injuries.
Felton, per Lewis, apparently injured his arm. Addison “jammed something” and watched the rest of the session from the sideline.
Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said before practice that it would have a scrimmage-style intensity. Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, the practice ended up being “pretty physical.”
Addison will miss the first three games of the regular season due to a suspension resulting from a DUI-related offense. Jalen Nailor is week-to-week with a hand injury.
The best news for the Vikings is that All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson recently returned to practice after missing multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury.
The Vikings got Justin Jefferson back on the practice field on Monday, but they have other issues to deal with at wide receiver heading into the regular season.
Jordan Addison is suspended for the first three games of the year, Rondale Moore will miss the entire season with a knee injury, and Jalen Nailor is considered week-to-week after suffering a hand injury. That state of affairs could lead them to look outside the organization for some help at the position.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Vikings are exploring veteran wideouts who may be available in trades leading up to next Tuesday’s deadline to set 53-man rosters around the league.
No deal is believed to be imminent, but talks could pick up as the deadline draws closer and teams begin making final decisions about the players they want to bring into the regular season.
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson made a long-awaited return to practice on Monday.
Jefferson hurt his hamstring on the second day of training camp and remained on the sideline until taking his first steps back on the field to kick off the week. After the session was over, Jefferson said that he’s “glad that I’m feeling great again” and that he’s set a “target” of Week 1 to get back to 100 percent.
Part of that process has been looking into why he’s had hamstring issues — he missed seven games in 2023 — and what he can do to make sure they don’t hinder him in the future.
“To be honest, what I got from it is I’m different than a lot of other people,” Jefferson said in a press conference. “The way I move, the way my body is positioned, the way I cut, the way I do everything is kind of different than what everyone else does. In different positions, I might put a little bit more stress on my body than a normal typical person would so it’s just putting my body in different positions and strengthening out those positions. It is kind of weird and it is kind of difficult to really explain, but, to be honest, just putting my body in difficult positions to withstand coming out here and being in those difficult positions.”
The Vikings were able to be cautious with Jefferson’s return because of the timing of his injury. It will be harder to take a similar approach to any recurrence during the season, so the Vikings and Jefferson will be hoping that the lessons they learned this month are put to good use.
The Vikings are signing running back Xazavian Valladay, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.
Valladay became a free agent in June when the Saints cut him.
He had stints on the practice squad of the Jets and Saints last season.
Valladay was with the Steelers in 2023.
His only regular-season game action came on 12 special teams snaps in one game with the Jets in 2023.
