The Minnesota Vikings and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips have agreed to terms on a two-year extension worth $19 million with over $13 million guaranteed, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on September 10.
Since arriving in Minnesota in 2022, Phillips has been the heart of the defensive line that has become one of the league’s best against the run. Coming off career highs in tackles (92) and sacks (3.0), Phillips sealed the deal with his performance in a Week 1 win over the New York Giants. He posted five tackles, including one for a loss, 1.0 sack, a quarterback hurry and a pass defensed to limit the Giants offense to 74 rushing yards and six points.
Pacing the defensive line with 839 snaps in 2023, Phillips anchored a group that allowed just 3.76 yards per rush in 2023, the fourth-best mark in the NFL, and only two rushing plays of 20 yards or more, which tied for the third-fewest by a team in the last 30 years, according to Vikings Communications. Only the 2010 Steelers (one) and 1997 Jaguars (one) allowed fewer 20-yard rushing plays in a season over that span.
A third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2018, Phillips, 28, is a three-time Walter Peyton Man of the Year nominee and earned his first nod as team captain this offseason.
“His leadership, his ability to create relationships throughout the locker room, that’s why he was named captain,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “He does a lot of great things for us that don’t get mentioned from a team-building and camaraderie standpoint, and he’s also a very good player.”
Resharing Pelissero’s report, Phillips wrote, “To God be the Glory! #SkolVikings,” on X (formerly Twitter).
He is now under contract in Minnesota through the 2026 season.
Harrison Phillips’ Rewarded for His Holding Down Vikings D-Line Through Thin Times
The Vikings defensive line was in disarray following the team’s 2019 playoff run that saw an exodus of many of the team’s veteran defenders the following offseason.
Linval Joseph was among those veteran departures, and the Vikings hadn’t found a mainstay at nose tackle with Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson proving to be short-term rentals.
Phillips is undersized for the spot at 6-foot-3, 307 pounds. However, he’s shown a relentless motor and understanding of leverage that helped the Vikings transform their run defense.
After ranking 20th in rushing yards allowed in 2022, the Vikings finished No. 8 in 2023 despite Tomlinson’s departure and few depth pieces to relieve Phillips. He played 74% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Not only was Phillips rewarded financially, but the Vikings also brought in reinforcements this season in veterans Jerry Tillery and Jihad Ward. Tillery played a team-high 39 snaps (55%) on the defensive front, followed by Phillips with 37 (52%), Ward with 29 (41%) and Jonathon Bullard with 28 (39%).
The lighter workload should benefit Phillips, who proved he can be disruptive as a pass-rusher as well in Week 1.
Harrison’s Playmakers See National Spotlight With Vikings
Phillips’ Walter Peyton Man of the Year nod put his foundation, Harrison’s Playmakers, in the national spotlight.
Phillips mentors youth groups in Minnesota, Nebraska and New York, helping children who are facing social, physical and economic challenges. The foundation organizes community events like picnics, benefit walks and movie nights to connect youth to external resources and each other.
Through two years in Minnesota, Phillips had worked with 17 Twin Cities charities, as mentioned in his nomination video in 2023.
