Jets $15 Million Starter 'Not Going Anywhere'

There surely will be changes coming for the New York Jets this offseason but one prominent insider ruled out one subtraction.

There has been some speculation about Harrison Phillips' future with the franchise. Phillips has one season left on his two-year, $15 million deal. There has been some speculation out there about the possibility of Phillips being a cut candidate, including from NFL.com's Matt Okada. But The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt said that "he's not going anywhere."

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"There’s really only one cut that feels inevitable, a rarity for any offseason: quarterback Justin Fields," Rosenblatt wrote. "If the Jets release him before June 1, they’ll only save $1 million and carry a $22 million dead cap penalty — in addition to the $35 million dead cap they’re already carrying for Aaron Rodgers. If they designate Fields a post-June 1 cut, the Jets would save $10 million and spread the dead cap over two years.

The Jets should keep Harrison Phillips

Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (97) before the game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is due $7.5 million, none of it guaranteed, but he’s not going anywhere. The Jets could technically trade linebacker Jamien Sherwood and save $1.5 million pre-June 1, or $9 million post-June 1, but that feels unlikely as of now."

This is for the best. Could the Jets save a bit of cash from moving on? Yes. But, Phillips showed throughout the 2025 season and throughout the offseason since that he's a positive for the franchise.

When the Jets brought in Aaron Glenn as the team's head coach, he made it a point to note that he wanted to change the culture in New York. Phillips is the type of player who is good to have. His candid comments about the 2025 season show why.

“I was there for one season and… I almost wanted to waver on some of my thoughts and my beliefs and my optimism," Phillips said during Super Bowl Week. "And so I can't imagine being there for year after year after year after year and not seeing the results that you wanted. ... 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’ … Then, young players come in and see, 'Oh, that's my vet, that's how they're acting, so I'm going to act like that too.' So, it's a long chain of things and it can't be fixed like that."

DT Harrison Phillips on why Jets Fans Should Believe in Aaron Glenn’s Vision#JetUp pic.twitter.com/b67KijGsCg
— 𝙅𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘼🛫 (@NYJets_Media) February 5, 2026

There are some things more important than saving a bit of cash. The Jets should absolutely keep Phillips. He's a guy who is a leader this franchise needs.