Former Viking Blasts His New Team’s Culture
The Minnesota Vikings traded defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets last summer, a shocking transaction because fans believed the team held Phillips in the highest regard. And when Phillips arrived in New York, he quickly realized the grass wasn’t greener on the other side.
Phillips’ comments put the Vikings’ former captain back in the spotlight and raise questions about the Jets’ tone.
The veteran lineman told all this week, sparing his head coach, Aaron Glenn, from criticism but noting a markedly different atmosphere from his time in Minnesota and Buffalo.
Harrison Phillips Sounds Off on the Jets’ Culture
It’s a story of the Jets being “the Jets.”
Phillips on NYJ Culture
Phillips spoke to Roundtable Sports on Radio Row last week, and he wasn’t shy about revealing the truth.
He said about his employer, “I think Aaron Glenn inherited a very cancerous, truculent group — whole, top to bottom. It’s not individual people’s fault. I was there for one season — it was a very difficult season — and I almost wanted to waver on some of my thoughts and my beliefs and my optimism.”
“So, I can’t imagine being there for year after year after year after year and not seeing the results that you wanted, and it tainted people. Because my coach is going to get fired, my teammate’s going to get fired, I’m going to be a free agent, I might get fired, I have to play for me, I have to make sure my tape is hot regardless of what the system is asking me to do, what the scheme is telling me to do.”
Many Jets fans saw the interview and thought, “Sounds about right.”
Phillips added, “Then, young players come in and see, ‘Oh, that’s my vet, that’s how they’re acting, so that’s the way I’m going to act, too.’ It’s a long chain of things, and it can’t be fixed like that.”
“I think AG’s mindset, of any coach I’ve been around, to deal with what we had to deal with this season and be as consistent as he was to us throughout that whole thing, was super cool to see,”
Unless he’s released, Phillips can’t quite get out of New York; he’s scheduled to be a free agent in 2027.
The Stunning Trade
On August 20th, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted: “ESPN sources: Vikings are trading DT Harrison Phillips and a 2027 7th-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 6th-round pick and a 2027 6th-round pick, pending Phillips’ physical. Phillips now joins Jowon Briggs as the second DT that the Jets traded for Wednesday.”
Fans checked to ensure the tweet wasn’t from a parody account because — why would Minnesota trade Phillips?
The defense wound up ranking third in the NFL in EPA per play, so losing Phillips wasn’t a death sentence, but there were times throughout the 2025 campaign when Phillips’s run defense would’ve come in handy. Now, for their troubles, the Vikings will get a pair of extra 6th-Round picks, which, for all intents and purposes, nobody really cares about.
In the Twin Cities, Phillips earned respect as a team captain and tone-setter. He justified his contract by providing stability at defensive tackle when the Vikings struggled with inconsistency at the position. He steadied the middle of the defensive line when it sometimes faltered.
Off the field, he became the organization’s most visible humanitarian, consistently investing time and resources into community work. Over 51 games in Minnesota, the 29-year-old recorded 207 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, and 6.5 sacks, also serving as a cultural pillar in the locker room.
A Sad 2025 Season
Phillips personally played well in New York last season — go figure — but his team stunk. Utterly stunk. The Jets started 0-7, basically eliminating themselves from postseason contention by Halloween, and finished the campaign with a horrid 3-14 record.
In recent weeks, Glenn has fired almost all of his coaching staff, so whatever culture he hoped to fix per the cancerous Phillips observation will start from scratch in 2026.
Phillips banked a 72.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. He did his part. It’s also worth noting that Phillips, until 2025, spent his entire career with the Bills and Vikings. Playing for a bottom-feeder was new territory — that he evidently didn’t enjoy.
What’s Next for Phillips & the Jets?
Phillips can escape from New York next offseason, and he’ll be 31 when it’s time to sign his next contract. Unless the Jets trade him in the upcoming months, he’s stuck contractually.
For the Jets’ overall outlook, well, they’re in a familiar spot. They need a quarterback. Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor held down the fort in 2025, but all that led to was a 3-14 record. In the coming weeks and months, New York can pursue a passer via trade like Mac Jones or Kyler Murray, sign Malik Willis from free agency, or explore the draft for a signal-caller like Ty Simpson, Carson Beck, or Trinidad Chambliss.
New York has the third-lowest Super Bowl odds for next year, with a +20000 moneyline, only besting the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals.
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