The Josh Sweat trade rumors have been hotter than any Cardinals–Packers pregame chatter this final week of preseason. Both front offices arrived early at Lambeau, and Sweat’s public friction with GM Monti Ossenfort says everything you need to know.
However, Ossenfort made a clear statement about their stance on Sweat weeks ago.
“There’s always a lot of talk that goes around that. We have no interest in trading Josh,” Ossenfort said Aug. 11, per ESPN.
And according to the latest inside chatter from Adam Schefter, the Cardinals GM is sticking to the same script for anyone calling about a Sweat trade.
“I try to deal in facts and realities, and all I can tell you is I know there have been teams that have reached out to them (the Cardinals), and I know they have been told they’re not trading him,” Schefter said on the Jen, Gabe, and Chewy podcast on ESPN Milwaukee.
Josh Sweat Trade Still Possible?
Stashing Sweat on the PUP list all August only to clear him right before joint practices set off instant alarm bells across the NFL. Combine that with top front-office execs landing in Green Bay ahead of schedule, and there’s a real reason to believe Arizona is actively taking calls.
And that they might change their response down the line.
“Now, could they change their stance down the line? Sure, but there have been teams that recently have reached out, and they have told those teams, ‘We are not trading him’,” Schefter added.
NFL history says otherwise. Several teams have followed the exact same script to a T when it came to their top veteran trade noise.
“I’ll just say this. The Raiders said they would never trade Khalil Mack, and they did. And the Cowboys said they would never trade Micah Parsons, but they did. So we’re not going to be naive to say these things don’t happen. I’m just telling you that teams have called there recently and have been told they’re not trading him.”
Cardinals Might Be Waiting for a Better Offer
Perhaps the Cardinals are simply waiting for a better offer.
Cardinals know they hold all the cards with the 53-man roster deadline nearing. The final cuts force contender front offices to panic and make them pay up.
Plus, the Cardinals just softened their ask from a 2nd-round pick to a player-plus-pick package. Giving in immediately signals desperation to trade Sweat to the rest of the league. Waiting signals that Arizona is perfectly fine keeping Sweat for Week 1 unless a buyer meets their precise valuation.
As for Green Bay, once they have their 53-man roster locked in, they gain total clarity on cap space and player redundancies. That’s when they can offer a specific player-plus-pick package to actually meet the Cardinals’ ask.
Clearing Sweat off the PUP list right before joint practices gave rival GMs a look at his health while preserving optionality. Arizona doesn’t have to rush a deal until cutdown paperwork mandates his active roster status.
Packers Delivered Cold Reality Check Over Josh Sweat Trade Rumors