Jets make trade for Phillips official and place Weaver on season-ending IR, cut Mathis

By Canadian Press on August 21, 2025.

The New York Jets placed defensive lineman Rashad Weaver on season-ending injured reserve and released defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis on Thursday, when their acquisition of nose tackle Harrison Phillips became official.

Phillips played the past three seasons for Minnesota after spending his first four with Buffalo. The Jets and Vikings agreed to a trade Wednesday night, pending Phillips passing his physical. New York also acquired a 2027 seventh-round draft pick from Minnesota, which received sixth-rounders in 2026 and 2027.

That move came a few hours after the Jets made another addition to their defensive line when they acquired defensive tackle Jowon Briggs and a seventh-rounder next year from Cleveland for a sixth-rounder.

The Jets also waived cornerback Ryan “Bump” Cooper with an injury designation. He was claimed off waivers from Miami last month.

Weaver was signed as a free agent by the Jets in March and expected to be part of New York’s defensive line rotation. The nature of Weaver’s injury was not immediately known and it wasn’t clear when it occurred.

Weaver, who has 5 1/2 career sacks and 15 quarterback hits in four NFL seasons, was waived by Tennessee last summer after being a fourth-rounder out of Pitt in 2021. He signed with Houston’s practice squad and played in three games for the Texans before being waived and finishing last season on the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad.

Mathis was claimed by the Jets off waivers from Washington last December. He was a second-round pick of the Commanders out of Alabama in 2022. Mathis has 25 total tackles in 23 games over three NFL seasons.

The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Phillips started every game during his tenure with Minnesota and provides a veteran presence next to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. A third-round pick out of Stanford in 2018, Phillips has eight career sacks, five fumble recoveries and is regarded as a top run stuffer.

He signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Vikings in 2022 and then was signed to a two-year extension in September.

“Harrison has meant so much to our team and our locker room since his arrival in Minnesota three years ago,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement in the team’s release announcing the trade. “He brought leadership, professionalism and consistency, helping set a standard for the culture we wanted to create.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell in Eagan, Minnesota, contributed.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated Press