Jaelan Phillips ecstatic about being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles needed some help at edge rusher heading into the 2025 NFL trade deadline, so general manager Howie Roseman addressed the issue, as he does.

First, he talked Eagles legend Brandon Graham out of retirement. Graham’s return will be a boon for the defense, both on and off the field. But, Roseman didn’t stop there. He also added linebacker Jaelan Phillips via a trade with the Miami Dolphins.

Phillips has prior experience with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and at just 26 years old, he should still have plenty of good football ahead of him. While he wasn’t necessarily expecting to be traded, he’s extremely excited about the opportunity to play for a storied organization with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

“I mean, it's incredible,” Phillips said of being traded to the Eagles, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I had no idea this was going to happen, but there's literally no other team I'd rather play for.

“Obviously, Philly is a storied franchise, great tradition here, incredible team,” he added. “I'm just excited to get in, get to work with the guys. I'm super excited. It's going to be awesome.”

Phillips is especially excited to play for Fangio again after experiencing some success under him when Fangio was the defensive coordinator in Miami in 2023.

“I love Vic as a person and as a coach,” Phillips said. “I had some good success with him. Excited to get back into his system and play with the other guys on the defense too.”

Ultimately, it will be up to Fangio to determine exactly what Phillips’ role on the defense will be, but the UCLA product is ready to put in the work and do whatever is asked of him.

“Oh man, I'm just going to work my ass off,” he said. “I'm going to come in, be a humble worker, earn the guys' respect, earn the fans' respect, just come in and do everything I can to support the team. . .. I want to be able to fly around and make plays. Yeah, literally fly around.”

It’s tough to blame Phillips for being excited about moving from the 2-7 Dolphins, who are firmly outside of the playoff picture in the AFC, to the 6-2 Eagles, who are currently the top seed in the entire NFC.

On paper, the addition of Phillips to Philadelphia’s defense is a strong fit for both sides. Let’s see if that translates to the field.