Getty Quarterback Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings have said goodbye to some of their best players this offseason, and those departures will be felt in numerous ways.
Kirk Cousins was arguably the biggest name to leave Minneapolis in free agency, though fellow team captains Danielle Hunter and Jordan Hicks weren’t far behind.
Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips appeared on “NFL Total Access” via the NFL Network on Wednesday, May 8, and put into words what the loss of Cousins specifically is going to mean to the locker room from a leadership standpoint.
“There’s gonna be a huge loss. Kirk Cousins as a person, as a leader, as a teammate — that’s a big void in your locker room,” Phillips said. “One of the most humble guys that I’ve ever been around. Servant leader, just a great motivator. He’s great. To ask one person to fill that void is probably not probable.”
Vikings Defense Will Look Different Alongside Harrison Phillips in 2024
Phillips is coming off a career-best season in his second year with the Vikes in 2023. The 28-year-old posted a career-high 92 total tackles, 6 quarterback hits, 3.0 sacks and 2 pass deflections.
In 2024, however, Phillips will no longer be flanked by Hunter, Hicks, D.J. Wonnum and Dean Lowry, among others. Most notably, Hunter departed for the Houston Texans for an almost fully guaranteed two-year deal worth $49 million.
Minnesota remained active in reshuffling the defensive depth chart, adding a handful of notable names as they aim to keep pace with Detroit, Green Bay and Chicago:
- OLB Jonathan Greenard, via the Houston Texans
- OLB Andrew Van Ginkel, via the Miami Dolphins
- LB Blake Cashman, via the Houston Texans
- DL Jerry Tillery, via the Las Vegas Raiders
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, via the Carolina Panthers
- DL Jonah Williams, via the Los Angeles Rams
- DL Jihad Ward, via the New York Giants
Phillips, the Vikings’ 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee, is entering a contract season in 2024, playing out the final year of the three-year, $19.5 million deal he signed in March 2022.
The seventh-year veteran is one of several key names on expiring deals after 2024 including star WR Justin Jefferson, QB Sam Darnold, CB Byron Murphy and S Camryn Bynum.
Phillips Spoke Out After ‘Massive’ Tornado Raveged Hometown Near Omaha, Nebraska
Amid the 2024 NFL offseason, Phillips saw his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska affected by a series of tornados that ripped through the midwest in late April.
A video posted to Facebook byWINK News chief meteorologist Matt Devitt on April 26 showed the “massive, mile wide destructive tornado” that was “rated a preliminary EF-3.”
Phillips took to social media following the natural disaster.
“My thoughts and prayers with everyone impacted by the terrible tornadoes and storms in Nebraska today. We need help and we need prayers. I know this community will rise up, but please lend a hand if you can,” Phillips posted on X on April 26.
My thoughts and prayers with everyone impacted by the terrible tornadoes and storms in Nebraska today. 💔We need help and we need prayers. 🙏I know this community will rise up, but please lend a hand if you can.
The Associated Press reported damage to “hundreds of homes and other structures as it tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. Some injuries were reported but there were no immediate reports that anyone was killed.”