Josh Sweat basically dropped an ultimatum on Arizona’s front office.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the edge rusher is hunting for a new deal, with trade chatter on him completely engulfing the desert.
“Josh Sweat is a name we have continually heard about,” Schefter said on Sunday NFL Countdown. “He is seeking a new contract… That is a player that will be of interest to a lot of teams as we get closer to the November 10 trade deadline.”
Josh Sweat Hands Cardinals Unofficial Deadline for Contract Extension
GM Monti Ossenfort maintains Arizona has zero interest in dealing its veteran pass rusher, but words alone don’t cool down the trade market rumors this hot. Only ink on paper will.
The health picture isn’t helping Sweat’s leverage either.
Ossenfort previously disclosed that Sweat underwent an unspecified procedure that landed him on the PUP list during training camp—a procedure Sweat clarified was not on his knee—and he’s currently battling a lingering groin issue.
Sweat signed a four-year, $76.4M deal with the Cardinals in March 2025, but the market for premier edge rushers has exploded since. According to Pro Football Rumors, Sweat’s $19.1M AAV ranks 23rd among EDGE peers—sitting well under half of Will Anderson’s record-setting $50M annual benchmark.
If Arizona wants to keep him happy and stave off rival suitors, they’ll have to shell out market value.
However, CardsWire’s Howard Balzer expects this to be Sweat’s final season in the desert regardless of deadline moves. Pointing to a 2025 stat sheet light on game-altering plays in crunch time, Balzer is skeptical any front office will hand Sweat the pay bump he’s demanding.
Ossenfort Will be Tempted to At Least Hear Out the Trade Offers on Sweat
Sitting at 1-3 only accelerates the clock. Following a bright Week 1 debut against Los Angeles, LaFleur’s group has hit a wall with three consecutive losses. If Arizona can’t stop the bleeding over the next couple of weeks, Ossenfort will be forced to flip Sweat for long-term assets before the ship goes completely under.
Ossenfort made the “no interest in trading Sweat” comments back in August. It did only so much in stopping the trade chatter surrounding him. And he has not made another statement since.
Sweat’s contract structure could be the trigger here. After 2026, Sweat has zero guaranteed money remaining on his four-year deal.
He turns 30 in March, and at 23rd in EDGE compensation, he’s actively hunting for a raise before his leverage evaporates. Ossenfort isn’t going to hand out guaranteed cash to an aging pass-rusher on a rebuilding roster.
If a contender is willing to inherit the headache and fork over a mid-round pick, Ossenfort would be out of his mind not to listen.
To top it all off, Monti Ossenfort has an even hotter fire to put out with Marvin Harrison Jr. If Sweat’s trade market is simmering, Harrison’s is at a full boil.
Tossing both players overboard in a single November window sends Arizona straight into a ground-up rebuild, and Ossenfort is not stupid enough to push his franchise into a full-rebuild mode. Before Ossenfort hits the panic button, he’ll need to draw the line between maximizing draft assets and completely gutting the locker room.
Cardinals Facing Deadline Pressure on Josh Sweat as Trade Market Heats Up