With two weeks left before the 2025 National Football League season is set to begin, the New York Jets made two trades on Wednesday. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets added defensive tackles in separate transactions with the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings.
The Jets acquired Jowon Briggs of Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to Briggs, the Jets received the received a seventh round draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Browns received the sixth round draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
New York also acquired Phillips of Omaha, Nebraska. In addition to Phillips, the Jets received a seventh round draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Vikings received the sixth round draft pick in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Draft.
Briggs had his rookie season with the Browns in 2024. He had 13 combined tackles (10 assisted tackles and three assisted tackles), two quarterback hits, one fumble recovery and one tackle for a loss.
Phillips is joining his third NFL franchise. He played four seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 2018 to 2021, and the last three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 2022 to 2024. In the 2022 NFL offseason, Phillips was the Vikings’s most high profile free agent after signing a three-year deal worth $19.5 million.
This past season with the Vikings, Phillips had 56 combined tackles (40 assisted tackles and 16 solo tackles), five quarterback hits, four pass deflections, two tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. One sack and one tackle for a loss came in a 28-6 Vikings win over the New York Giants on September 8. Phillips’s other sack and tackle for a loss, as well as his forced fumble, came in a 23-17 Vikings win over the New York Jets on October 6. Phillips’s fumble recovery came in a 12-7 Vikings win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 10.
