When it comes to trading former Philadelphia Eagles star edge rusher and Super Bowl hero Josh Sweat, the Arizona Cardinals are telling inquiring teams to back off.
“The Cardinals are telling interested teams they aren’t planning to trade Sweat, and I believe that to be true,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote on Wednesday. “No team has won or lost any games yet. Sweat is an important part of the Cardinals’ defense, and if they still plan to be competitive (as most teams do at this point), the right move is to keep him. They’ve already paid a $7.22 million option bonus for this year and owe him $9.78 million in base salary for the season … Arizona is going to continue to get calls. Though I believe the team doesn’t want to trade him, I also know these things change. And if Arizona is out of it in late October and/or Sweat indicates he doesn’t want to be there anymore, you’ll hear his name ahead of the deadline.”
Sweat had 2.5 sacks in a 40-22 Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2025 and signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free-agent contract with the Cardinals 1 month later.
Josh Sweat Trade Previously Called ‘Inevitable’
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton called an eventual trade sending Sweat away from the Cardinals “inevitable,” with the Super Bowl champion topping the list of the NFL’s most probable trade candidates at the start of preseason play.
“The Arizona Cardinals are in a weird spot with Josh Sweat,” Moton wrote on August 20. “They placed him on the physically unable to perform list because of a knee injury after he skipped organized team activities and then attended mandatory minicamp without participation … NFL analysts (including this one) expect the Cardinals to finish with one of the league’s worst records this year. Journeyman Jacoby Brissett is the starting quarterback, and promising rookie first-round running back Jeremiyah Love is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. In his age-28 season, Sweat logged a career-high 12 sacks, but the Cardinals are unlikely to contend this season. If Ossenfort doesn’t trade him before Week 1, he’s just delaying the inevitable.”
Perhaps the biggest issue for Sweat — and the reason for his absence — is that the Cardinals suck right now and going 3-14 in 2025 was too much for him to handle after winning a Super Bowl the previous year with the Eagles.
The Cardinals have shown zero signs of life this offseason as well, and seem headed toward a major rebuild under 1st-year head coach Mike LaFleur.
“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.
Sweat’s discontent in Arizona could also be tied to the fact that the man who brought him in, Cardinals head coach and former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, was fired in January after going 15-36 in 3 seasons in Arizona.
Eagles Could Use Another Edge Rusher
Of course, the most headline-worthy destination for Sweat would be a return to Philadelphia — and it’s easy to see how he would fit on the defense right now.
Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard has 1 side locked down after the Eagles traded for him in the offseason, then signed him to a 4-year, $98 million contract extension — he’s yet to practice this preseason after hurting his pectoral muscle lifting weights.
On the other side, things are much more up for grabs. Former 1st-round pick Nolan Smith Jr. has battled injuries throughout his career, and up-and-coming edge rusher Jalyx Hunt could be on the verge of a breakout season, but hasn’t shown he can be elite to this point.
Ex-Eagles Star Josh Sweat Gets Clear Message on Possible Trade