Adrian Phillips Explains Smooth Transition to Patriots Despite Unique Circumstances

Phillips signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Patriots this offseason.

For players who are joining new teams this offseason, it can be challenging. Finding a new place to live is more difficult, traveling is more unsafe than it typically is, and meeting your new teammates over a video call as opposed to face to face isn't the same, but is necessary because of the pandemic. 

But for safety Adrian Phillips, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Patriots back in March, he finds that joining a new team - even if he can't meet his new teammates and coaches in-person - has been very smooth. That's because New England has embraced him as if he wasn't a newly-added player this offseason. 

“That’s a testament to those guys to embrace me the way that they did and to just treat me like I’ve been there for so long and not even meeting me face to face,” Phillips said during an interview with Megan O'Brien of Patriots.com. “It’s a huge testament to them, and it’s a huge testament to the coaches. It’s showing that they’re real people that just really want to know the best of you and just really want to see what type of person you are and embrace you and bring you into the winning culture. It’s real cool to be a part of that.”

Phillips also said he always wondered from the outside how the six-time Super Bowl champions have been able to sustain a high level of success over such a long period time. But now that he's with the team, he understands how. 

“(The Patriots are) a first-class organization,” Phillips said. “You notice that from afar and you wonder, ‘How does that keep happening?’ So actually being in the mix, you see that, and being in the meetings with the guys and the DBs, you see why they’re always in the position that they’re in. It’s just great to be a part of.”

The former undrafted safety spent nearly his entire career up until 2020 with the Chargers, and has had quite a roller coaster ride since 2014. Phillips was waived, cut, added, removed or signed by the Chargers (whether it be to the active roster or practice squad) 17 times in 2014 and 15 times in 2015, per Pro Football Reference's transaction wire. Two of those transactions in '15 were from the Packers. In 2015 Phillips finally found some stability by staying on Los Angeles' roster and remaining there until this offseason.

Now, after an All-Pro season in 2018 due to his special teams contributions and a broken arm that forced him to miss most of the 2019 season, Phillips finds a new home with the Patriots, who can hopefully provide him more stability than he has found in his career.

Phillips is happy to be on the team, and the coaching staff likely feels the same way about the former Charger. Adding Phillips was the first of several moves this offseason that proved the Patriots are adding a new wrinkle to their defense by stacking their safety room with talent that can be effective in multiple positions, whether it's as a deep safety, in the box, or even as a linebacker. That is one of the ways New England's defense will attempt to carry their success into a second-consecutive season.