As the offseason trickles away toward the beginning of the NFL regular season in September, the Green Bay Packers roster will continue to be evaluated. However, one area that is consistently brought to attention is the team’s pass rush, and Josh Sweat of the Arizona Cardinals keeps being mentioned as a potential answer.
Many didn’t expect this to once again be a lingering question for the Packers during the 2026 offseason considering they made one of the biggest moves of last year. Trading with the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons was viewed as a franchise-altering move.
The problem was Parsons suffered a season-ending ACL injury in November.
While Parsons is expected to make a full recovery, it may not come until several weeks into the season. Even then, questions remain about how productive he can be less than a year removed from such a significant injury. As a result, Sweat continues to be floated as a possible trade target for Green Bay.
On June 1, Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber wrote that Sweat could indeed be an option and that acquiring him may not cost as much as some would expect.
Packers Could Land Josh Sweat for Surprisingly Cheap Price
Huber acknowledged that any potential trade comes with complications due to Sweat’s contract.
The veteran edge rusher is owed $38 million in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, creating a financial hurdle for Arizona if it were to move him.
“Sweat’s contract could make a trade at least a little complicated. With $38 million guaranteed, the Cardinals would have to swallow a lot of dead cap money to make it happen,” Huber wrote. “From Green Bay’s perspective, he would come with cap charges of $10.88 million in 2026 – a relative bargain – but $18.1 million in 2027 and 2028.”
However, Huber noted that much of Sweat’s signing bonus obligation would remain with Arizona, potentially making him more attractive as a one-year rental for Green Bay.
Even more intriguing is the potential cost.
“The trade compensation might not be much. One high-ranking executive told Packers On SI that a fifth-round pick might get it done because Sweat is 29 and expensive,” Huber added.
The executive also pointed to concerns about Sweat’s long-term outlook.
“While he’s been durable with only two missed games the past five seasons, the executive said Sweat is ‘on his last leg.’ When the Cardinals signed Sweat in 2025, an executive told The Athletic that the coaches would have to ‘manage’ his knee.”
Despite those concerns, the executive still believed Green Bay should consider the move because of how much more accomplished Sweat is than the Packers’ current edge rushers.
As Huber noted, Green Bay’s returning group of Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox Jr., Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver and Arron Mosby have combined for just 15.5 career sacks.
Josh Sweat Suffered Major Knee Injury Back In High School
In eight NFL seasons, Sweat’s shortest season was nine games, which came during his rookie year. Since then, he has averaged 16 games per season. Still, it’s understandable why some NFL teams could have concerns about his future.
Back in 2014, Sweat suffered a dislocated knee and torn ACL during a high school game. According to ESPN’s Tim McManus, the injury was so severe that doctors feared there could be nerve and artery damage.
“I’m 99 percent sure you’re never going to play football again,” Sweat was told. “And there’s a good chance we might have to cut it off.”
Thankfully for Sweat, neither scenario happened.
He went on to play at Florida State before becoming one of the more productive pass rushers in the NFL. Over eight seasons, Sweat has developed into a reliable edge defender and has missed only two games over the last five years.
The question now is whether his connection to former Cardinals head coach and current Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, along with a potentially favorable trade price, will be enough for Green Bay to make a move.
Packers Cheap Trade Idea With Cardinals Comes With Brutal Josh Sweat Evaluation