Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings rarely conduct contract business during the regular season.
But the team’s front office made an exception for one man this week — defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.
Phillips, a beloved Viking among fans, will stick around for the long haul, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He tweeted Tuesday, two days after the Vikings downed the New York Giants in Week 1: “The Vikings are signing veteran DT Harrison Phillips to a two-year contract extension worth up to $19 million with over $13M guaranteed, per sources. A 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominee, Phillips is now locked in with Minnesota through 2026.”
At the dawn of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell era, Phillips represented one of the first keynote free-agent acquisitions, and now Phillips will stay attached to Minnesota operations until the end of 2026. He’s not going anywhere.
A mainstay of the Vikings’ defensive line, Phillips, almost by default, serves as the nose tackle in Brian Flores’ defense, an arrangement that has netted dividends since 2022. Phillips also produced a marvelous Week 1 game this season, banking a praiseworthy 80.3 Pro Football Focus grade versus the New York Giants last weekend.
Phillips actually saw reduced playing time on Sunday — 37 snaps, or 52% of the time. The Vikings hinted at a plan to preserve Phillips all offseason after his workload spiked last year to 839 snaps in 2023 — or about 74% of the time.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted in March, “Vikings also hope that added depth will help them manage DT Harrison Phillips’ playing time as well, per Kevin O’Connell. Phillips played a career-high 839 snaps last season.”
Of course, versus the Giants, it helped Phillips’ workload that Minnesota grabbed a lead and never really looked back. A broader test for the Phillips plan will be revealed in the next several games against the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Rams. Those are Minnesota’s upcoming opponents, and none are pushovers like the Giants.
The new contract keeps Phillips’ average annual value in the league’s middle amongst DTs, assuming he fetches the full deal in incentives. Detroit Lions DT D.J. Reader and Cincinnati Bengals DT B.J. Hill earn salaries in the ballpark of Phillips’ new extension.
Phillips is nicknamed “Horrible Harry,” though the moniker is a bit comical because he’s one of the most wholesome human beings on the team.
He’ll turn 29 in January.
Finalizing Phillips’ deal also signals that safety Camryn Bynum’s extension is in play — even during the regular season.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.