The Baltimore Ravens already made 2 big-time moves to improve their pass rush this offseason.
First, they signed 32-year-old NFL All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract. Next, they drafted 6-foot-6, 262-pound edge rusher Zion Young in the 2nd round (No. 45 overall) of the 2026 NFL draft — a 1st-round talent who dropped over character concerns.
That’s still probably not going to be enough to get the job done if the Super Bowl is truly Baltimore’s goal. Sports Illustrated’s Jason La Canfora pitched a “realistic, impactful” trade that could do the trick — a conditional 3rd-round pick in exchange for disgruntled Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat.
Sweat signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free-agent contract with the Cardinals in March 2025.
“Keeping Hendrickson on a pitch count would be huge, especially if this team is going deep in the playoffs,” La Canfora wrote on June 19. “I’m not buying Zion Young as a pass rusher as a rookie (maybe not ever), and it’s slim pickings after that. If the Ravens learned any lessons as a front office from the debacle of 2025, it’s that legit prime pass rush is everything … Sweat, 29, wants out of Arizona and will eventually get out of Arizona. He has 20 sacks the past two years, and his two highest pressure rates of his career. Sure, he’s mercurial, but so was Jadeveon Clowney, and he worked out great in Baltimore.”
Josh Sweat Wants Off Arizona’s Sinking Ship
Sweat has been the subject of trade rumors since he refused to show up for the start of OTAs, although he later showed up for minicamp, and 1st-year head coach Mike LaFleur tried to downplay any trade rumors.
Perhaps the biggest issue for Sweat — and the reason for his absence — is that the Cardinals suck right now. Going 3-14 in 2025 was too much for him to handle after winning a Super Bowl the previous year with the Eagles, and there is no sign of relief on the horizon. There’s a good chance, in 2026, that the Cardinals are the NFL’s worst team.
“Don’t know the exact reason for the absence, but I’ve been hearing for awhile that Josh Sweat is not particularly happy in AZ,” NFL reporter Kyle Odegard wrote on his official X account on May 19.
Josh Sweat Got Emotional Over Pro Bowl Snub
In 2025, Sweat had career highs of 12.0 sacks and 13 TFL. He also put up big numbers with 17 QB hits and 4 forced fumbles. Rightfully so, he thought those numbers should garner him some postseason honors. Pro Bowl and NFL All-Pro voters felt differently.
Sweat finding out he didn’t make the Pro Bowl proved to be a bit of a trigger.
“I’m upset because there’s only two individual things that you can get and it’s Pro Bowl and All-Pro,” Sweat told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss after he wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl. “And I got one taken away from me. I’m just flat out saying it was taken away from me — and it ain’t the first time … It’s like I don’t know what else I could have done at that point. I don’t know what else I could have done. Now, in previous years, maybe you could have said he didn’t have the popularity, maybe he didn’t get the fan vote. This year, I was second in fan voting for NFC. It’s like, what else did they want me to do?”
‘Realistic, Impactful’ Trade Pitch Brings Ravens Elite NFC Edge Rusher