Football Bio –
Signed with the Chargers in 2025 and experienced a career-defining season. Playing a staggering 80 percent of the special teams snaps, Phillips set a single-season franchise record with 24 special teams tackles. College: Illinois. Signed with the Chargers in 2025 and experienced a career-defining season. NFL/Chargers summary: Enters the 2026 season with Los Angeles as a LB competing to define or expand his role.
HEIGHT
6' 2"
WEIGHT
230
EXPERIENCE
7 yrs
COLLEGE
Illinois
2026 Outlook
Phillips made the 53 and enters Week 1 as an important veteran linebacker option while Perryman is on injured reserve. His experience and special-teams value give the Chargers flexibility next to Henley.
Career Highlights
Playing a staggering 80 percent of the special teams snaps, Phillips set a single-season franchise record with 24 special teams tackles. His league- leading production earned him a prestigious Second-Team All-Pro selection. He explicitly named legendary boxing champion Floyd Mayweather as his lifelong favorite athlete and mental role model because Mayweather "always finds a way to win," a mindset Phillips applies to the hyper-physical world of NFL special teams coverage.
Personal Life
Phillips was born in Detroit, Michigan, and is the son of Latashia Phillips and Shawn Gaines. He attended Detroit Cass Tech, helping the program win a city championship before beginning a winding college path through junior college and Illinois. He studied sports management and has cited Floyd Mayweather as a favorite athlete because of his competitive mentality.