New England Patriots sign Adrian Phillips: Grade, reaction and more
By John Buhler
The New England Patriots are adding safety Adrian Phillips in free agency to bolster their defensive backfield on a two-year deal.
The New England Patriots needed to fill a major hole in their defensive backfield in free agency and it seems they have done it by signing a former First-Team All-Pro. According to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, the Patriots are signing former Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Adrian Phillips to a two-year deal.
New England already has an elite playmaker in the secondary in Stephon Gilmore, but the Patriots did lose two members of its defensive backfield this offseason. Nate Ebner joins former Patriots coach Joe Judge with the New York Giants, while Duron Harmon will play for another Bill Belichick disciple in Matt Patricia on the Detroit Lions.
Phillips was First-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2018, but was limited to only seven games last season with the Bolts. He spent his first six NFL seasons with the Chargers after going undrafted out of the University of Texas in 2014.
Here are the contract details, the national reaction and a grade for Phillips joining the Patriots.
Contract Details
Per Robinson, all we know is it is a two-year deal to bring Phillips to New England. Once a deal has been finalized and the terms have been disclosed publicly, we will have an update for you.
National Reaction
A team source tells Yahoo Sports that Pro Bowl safety Adrian Phillips has agreed to a two-year deal with the #Patriots.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 19, 2020
#Chargers lose S Adrian Phillips to the Patriots. Phillips was a pro bowler in 2018. He will be missed. https://t.co/1aTNnf7sdD
— Fernando Ramirez (@RealFRamirez) March 19, 2020
The #Patriots reportedly have signed Pro Bowl safety Adrian Phillips: https://t.co/ckDZq3O8Kt pic.twitter.com/gLS8xXAw24
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) March 19, 2020
One day after trading away one safety, the Patriots reportedly are signing another.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) March 19, 2020
Say hello to Adrian Phillips. https://t.co/CEXo1AROtq pic.twitter.com/3WAYSkAek8
Source confirms the Adrian Phillips signing. He's essentially played a pseudo-linebacker role in the Chargers' defense over the past few years while also being a high-quality special teams player.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 19, 2020
This is an underrated signing that should make the Patriots secondary as good as it ever was. Phillips is an incredibly versatile playmaker in the back-seven of a defense.
Belichick can use him in a linebacker/safety hybrid to get faster on the field. Add in that he’s a terrific special teams player and a former undrafted guy and this checks all the boxes of a Belichick Patriot.
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While we don’t know the financials of the deal, it’s surely not for a huge dollar amount, as Belichick will not overspend on a guy. With it being only a two-year deal, it would be pretty easy to get out of if Phillips can’t hold his own in New England uniform.
This feels like a low-risk, high-reward move that gives the Patriots the flexibility they are looking for in the back-end of the defense.