The Arizona Cardinals have already pulled two massive trades this season, both as sellers. Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Texans and Jacoby Brissett to the Ravens.
But Arizona might not be done dealing just yet. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz dropped a key behind-the-scenes update, signaling that pass rusher Josh Sweat is open to a trade after being floated on the block all season.
The Cardinals are content to keep him if rival general managers try to play hardball and buy him for a lower price, but with an open market for edge help, Monti Ossenfort is waiting to see if someone blinks and pays his premium asking price.
Cardinals Open to Hearing Josh Sweat Trade Offers
“Sources: The belief around the NFL is that #Cardinals DE Josh Sweat would be open to a trade, as he has been dating back to the offseason, and it’s up to Arizona whether it ultimately decides to deal him,” Schultz writes. “Multiple teams would have interest in Sweat, but the asking price is believed to be high. Arizona has given the impression they’re fine keeping him.”
Whichever team decides to trade for the Pro Bowler also has to consider his contract. Sweat signed a 4-year deal with the Cardinals in May 2025.
Taking on Josh Sweat’s four-year, $76.4 million deal means absorbing a $19.1 million annual cap hit and $41 million in guarantees after 2026, since the Cardinals have already absorbed his massive $18.5 million signing bonus. Beyond coughing up draft picks, any acquiring team also faces Sweat’s demand for restructured terms or fresh cash flow upon arrival.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler introduced a wild new plot twist to the trade chatter, reporting that Sweat might not be pushing for a change of scenery at all. According to Fowler, Sweat’s camp is eyeing a fresh contract extension or an added financial sweetener before greenlighting any move, a leverage play that could instantly cool off interested suitors.
“The Cardinals have received trade interest on Sweat, who would be a natural fit in Dallas. Word is he wants a new deal, which could be a hurdle,” Fowler wrote.
Cardinals Asking Price Might Be a Tad High for Potential Suitors
To make matters even trickier, Schultz later reported that league consensus believes general manager Monti Ossenfort has slapped a sky-high asking price on Sweat.
“Now, the note about Sweat feeling this way since the offseason seems…well, notable. As does Arizona’s apparent ‘high’ asking price,” he wrote.
For weeks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has linked the Cowboys to Sweat, saying he makes sense.
“There is interest in Cardinals OLB Josh Sweat, per sources. A team to watch with Sweat is the Cowboys, who will get an up-close look at him today, when Dallas hosts Arizona,” Schefter wrote before the Cardinals took on the Cowboys.
The Cowboys already saw what Sweat looks like on the field when they took on the Cardinals this Sunday. In the biggest upset win of the week, the Cardinals came out winning in the 33-30 overtime thriller, and it added to the pressure of why the Cowboys need some pass-rush help now.
Ossenfort knows he holds all the cards and will likely milk the best draft capital out of it. Ossenfort holds all the cards. Otherwise, Sweat stays in the desert.
Insider Shares Strong Hint on Cardinals Trading Josh Sweat Before Deadline: Report