Staring down a rebuild that could stretch through the end of the 2020s, there’s no good reason for the Arizona Cardinals not to listen to trade offers for all but a few players.
One of the players they are apparently listening to calls for is former Philadelphia Eagles star and edge rusher Josh Sweat, who has made his displeasure with playing for the Cardinals known by not showing up for OTAs.
“Sources: The Cardinals have received trade calls on Pro Bowl DE Josh Sweat,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “Sweat had 12 sacks last season in his first year with Arizona and had a close relationship with Jonathan Gannon, whom the Cardinals moved on from.”
Sweat played the 1st 7 seasons of his career with the Eagles, leading them in sacks in his final season in 2024 as he spearheaded a defense that won the franchise its 2nd Super Bowl in the last decade.
Figuring Out Josh Sweat’s Trade Value
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox dove into what Sweat’s trade value might be just 1 year after he signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free-agent contract with the Cardinals, which could bring his career earnings to approximately $116 million.
In Knox’s model, Sweat would bring back a conditional 2027 4th-round pick that turns into a 3rd-round pick based on how Sweat performs.
“Sweat has three years left on a four-year, $76.4 million contract,” Knox wrote on May 25. “The Cardinals could save $10.9 million by trading him after June 1, but they’d also trigger a $31.8 million dead-cap hit — and trading Sweat before June 1 would cost an additional $5.6 million in 2026 cap space. Arizona isn’t likely to eat that much dead money without getting a reasonable return for Sweat. They’re likely to start the bidding at the same third-round price that the Philadelphia Eagles paid for a half-season of Jaelan Phillips, even if teams aren’t eager to match.”
Why Josh Sweat Might Want Out in Arizona
The biggest issue for Sweat with the Cardinals is likely that, despite the mountains of cash being thrown at him and the contract he’s already agreed to, going from winning a Super Bowl in 2024 with the Eagles to going 3-14 in 2025 has made him miserable.
“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 when Sweat no-showed for OTAs.
That came after Sweat had a surprisingly emotional response to not being selected to the Pro Bowl despite a dominant year. He was also denied a spot on the NFL All-Pro Team.
“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 in December 2025. “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 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?”
Former Eagles Star Josh Sweat Gets Major Trade Update From Cardinals