The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been famously reticent to make trades — pretty much on any level. When they do, it’s usually to get rid of players in exchange for draft picks.
If the Buccaneers have any faith in their roster and its ability to be an NFC contender, then there’s 1 trade they need to make right now that might change the trajectory of the 2026 season.
That trade would be for disgruntled Arizona Cardinals edge rusher and Super Bowl champion Josh Sweat, who could be the player who lifts the Buccaneers to a new level.
In this scenario, the Buccaneers might be able to get the Cardinals to take a 4th-round pick and edge rusher Chris Braswell — a former 2nd-round pick — in exchange for Sweat, who led the Cardinals with 12.0 sacks in 2025.
“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.”
Josh Sweat Cashed in Following Super Bowl Win
Sweat spent the 1st 7 seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, leading them in sacks in 2024 on the way to a Super Bowl win.
He signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free-agent contract with the Cardinals in March 2025 but soon found life in the desert quite miserable after a 3-14 season in which he was denied both NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
Sweat made his discontent known by not showing up for OTAs on May 19.
“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.
Bucs Could Have NFL’s Elite Edge Rusher Trio
There’s 1 school of thought that adding the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Sweat might create the NFL’s elite edge rusher trio in Tampa Bay alongside YaYa Diaby and 2026 1st-round pick Rueben Bain Jr.
It would be a sea change for the Buccaneers, who have basically relied on Diaby and nobody else in recent years — that’s despite dropping a 1-year, $14 million contract on edge rusher Haason Reddick, who gave them just 2.5 sacks in 13 games.
The most intriguing aspect of any proposed trade for Sweat would be getting to pair him with Bain, who might be the best pound-for-pound player in the draft and dropped to the Buccaneers at No. 15 overall over concerns about his arm length and off-field issues.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski handed Tampa Bay a rare “A+” grade for drafting Bain, who led Miami to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in his final season in 2025.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just made a statement,” Sobleski wrote. “The organization waded through all of the noise and landed an elite prospect. Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. was an every-down disruptor the past season. His power to rock blockers is an absolute joy to watch. Then again, too many allowed one number to blur the evaluation.”
Blockbuster Bucs Trade Pitch Lands $76 Million Super Bowl Champion