The Green Bay Packers have been linked to Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Josh Sweat for much of the offseason. General manager Brian Gutekunst has now made his position on those rumors unmistakably clear.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported Tuesday that Gutekunst said nobody in the Packers organization has spoken with anyone from Arizona about a trade for Sweat.
“Somebody’s making stuff up,” Gutekunst said.
The denial comes after months of speculation connecting Green Bay to the 29-year-old edge rusher, speculation that made some sense on paper because of Sweat’s history with new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
But according to Gutekunst, that connection never turned into trade talks.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst Shuts Down Josh Sweat Trade Rumor
The Sweat-to-Green Bay chatter has surfaced multiple times since the spring.
In June, Easton Butler of Packer Report had said the Packers and Cardinals were working on a trade involving Sweat, with compensation potentially depending on how much of his contract Green Bay was willing to absorb.
The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman pushed back at the time, saying he was told Gutekunst had not discussed a Sweat trade with anyone.
The rumors resurfaced late in August when Arizona traveled to Green Bay for joint practices and the preseason finale. That timing, combined with Sweat coming off the physically unable to perform list and his connection to Gannon, only added fuel to the speculation.
Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort had already tried to shut the door earlier in August.
“We have no interest in trading Josh. We’re excited to have him,” Ossenfort said, according to Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams, adding that Arizona expected more good things from Sweat in 2026.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter delivered a similar message on Aug. 27.
“I know there have been teams that have reached out to them, and I know they’ve been told they’re not trading him,” Schefter said, via Cardinals Wire’s Jess Root.
Gutekunst’s comments go one step further when it comes specifically to Green Bay. He isn’t saying talks failed or Arizona rejected an offer. He’s saying the conversations never happened.
Jonathan Gannon Connection Fueled Packers-Josh Sweat Speculation
There was an obvious reason Green Bay continued to be mentioned as a possible destination.
The Packers hired Gannon as defensive coordinator in February after Arizona fired him following the 2025 season. Sweat has played some of his best football under Gannon.
Gannon was Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, when Sweat earned his first Pro Bowl selection and later posted what was then a career-high 11 sacks.
When Sweat left Philadelphia for Arizona in March 2025, he signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract to reunite with Gannon.
That reunion paid off immediately.
Sweat started all 17 games last season and established another career high with 12 sacks. He also recorded 13 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles.
Green Bay’s own situation made the rumor even easier to connect.
Micah Parsons will begin the season on reserve/PUP while recovering from ACL and meniscus surgery, meaning the Packers will be without their top pass rusher for at least the first four games.
Adding Sweat would have given Gannon a proven player for his defense and Green Bay an immediate answer while Parsons recovers.
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