The Minnesota Vikings made their first move of free agency by agreeing to sign Harrison Phillips from the Buffalo Bills. Like the Vikings’ marquee free-agent additions of the past two seasons, Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson, Phillips is a defensive tackle.
Minnesota reportedly brought in Phillips on a three-year, $19.5 million deal. If the reaction of Bills fans is any indication, it looks like the Vikings got not only a great player but a great human being and a leader in the locker room.
As a consequence of the Phillips signing, the Vikings will release Pierce. Cutting him will save the team $6 million, almost the same amount they will pay Phillips. The Vikings signed Pierce in 2020 to replace an aging Linval Joseph. Unfortunately, Pierce’s opt-out in 2020 and his elbow injury this past season have only allowed for him to play six games in purple. While he did show flashes of how special he could be, he ultimately did not justify his price tag.
Phillips will likely take over as the starting 1-tech in Ed Donatell’s new defense, and the Vikings will have high expectations for him. Phillips will be one of the main cogs in a defense that hopes to show significant improvement after finishing in the bottom half of the league for the last two seasons. Last year Phillips recorded a PFF grade of 79.8 against the run. If his trajectory suggests anything, he will only continue to improve in this area.
The 26-year-old Phillips has continued to improve every season, and during the playoffs this year, he even usurped veteran Star Lotulelei to earn a starting role. With Pierce set to turn 30 next season, it makes sense for the Vikings to move on from him and turn to a younger, cheaper option who may only be getting better.
Phillips isn’t just a defensive anchor. His addition will also bring a leader to the defensive line that the Vikings have lacked since Joseph and Everson Griffen‘s first stint with the team. After his ACL tear in 2019, Phillips talked about how he set an example for his teammates and became a role model in the face of adversity.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Phillips talked about leadership and how he has learned from those around him.
There [are] two types of leadership. One is the positional leadership, and that’s like, your middle linebacker is going to be a leader, your starting quarterback is going to be a leader, and your 10-year vet is going to be a leader, because of the position they’re in. Then there’s personal leadership, and that’s the leadership that you get, gain respect, when players walk by after practice, and they see Tre’Davious White doing extra reps, and doing his extra work. He gets a little bit of leadership for that.
In the same aspect, now that I’ve been here for three years, going on four years, those players who see the way that I am as a player, how serious I take my craft, the way that I am in the film room, staying late, first car there in the morning, last car to leave, those types of things, built up a lot of personal power, as well. As we really build this thing to reach the goals that are out in front of us of not only getting to the game that we got to last year but making it to the next one, everyone has to step up and lead in some capacity.
But Phillips’ leadership extends beyond the locker room or any practice field. He also sets an example in the community. Phillips has been Buffalo’s nominee for the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award for the past two years. He does most of his charitable work through his Playmakers Organization, which supports children that are developmentally or physically different.
At the start of the offseason, Vikings president Mark Wilf talked about the desire to get more high-character players on the team. Phillips fits that bill with the numerous charitable ventures that made him a fan favorite in Buffalo amongst the notoriously rowdy Bills Mafia.
With the addition of Phillips, the Vikings are getting younger at the defensive line with a player whose best football is still ahead of him. They are also getting a stellar person who will help the Vikings and Kevin O’Connell develop their culture both on and off the field.
