Much of the Arizona Cardinals’ offseason has been filled with rumors of edge rusher Josh Sweat wanting out.
The Cardinals’ top sack producer still has yet to practice after he was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a knee injury at the beginning of camp.
After former head coach Jonathan Gannon was fired, there was speculation that Sweat was requesting a trade to be with his former defensive coordinator and head coach. Those rumors have been put to bed, at least for now.
According to Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort, the team has no interest in trading Sweat.
What Did Arizona Cardinals GM Ossenfort Say?
While Sweat cannot participate in training camp due to his placement on the PUP list, he did not participate in mandatory minicamp either. This led to trade buzz increasing.
However, Ossenfort let Cardinals reporters know they have no plan to trade Sweat.
“Josh is making good progress,” Ossenfort said. “Josh is getting closer every day. I think Josh is going to be out there in due time to get ready for the season opener, and we’re excited to get him out there and get him going. I’d say [trade] discussions that come by that, there’s always a lot of talk that goes around that. We have no interest in trading Josh. We’re excited to have him. Some of those discussions [we’re] going to keep private. But excited to have Josh here; he had a great year last year. Excited for more good things out of him this year.”
More On Sweat
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Sweat in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In seven seasons with the Eagles, Sweat had 43 sacks, including an 11-sack 2022 and a Pro Bowl nod in 2021.
He would win a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2024 against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, he would have 2.5 sacks. He would parlay that into a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Cardinals that offseason.
During the 2025 season, his first with the Cardinals, Sweat would have a career-high 12 sacks. The closest Cardinals defender to Sweat in that total was Calais Campbell with 6.5 sacks.
Despite all the drama and injury concerns this offseason, the Cardinals expect Sweat to be ready for the regular season.
“He’s putting a lot of work in behind the scenes to make sure when he gets the green light, and everyone feels good,” Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said earlier in camp. “Ultimately [we’re] making sure Josh feels good both mentally and physically to go out there and perform the way [he can] because he takes a lot of pride in what his product looks like. That tape matters a lot to him as I’ve gotten to know him. So he’s earned the right to communicate with us to say, ‘hey, I feel good, I’m ready to go.'”
On a team that will not likely compete in 2026, Sweat will try to build off of his 2025 season. It will be interesting to see if Arizona’s Trade Deadline plans change at all as the season progresses.
Cardinals GM Shuts Down Josh Sweat Trade Rumors