The Cardinals aren’t giving callers any encouragement when it comes to Josh Sweat.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that Arizona has kept telling teams it is not interested in moving the veteran edge rusher, even as the trade chatter keeps hanging around. That won’t necessarily shut the door on more teams asking, and it probably won’t do much to cool speculation if the Cardinals come out of the gate slowly, which Graziano noted is what most people expect.
For now, the message from Arizona is simple: the team is still 0-0, and holding onto Sweat keeps the roster stronger right now. Graziano added that if the Cardinals slide out of contention, then dealing the 29-year-old to a contender in need of pass-rush help would make plenty of sense.
The Packers have been the team most linked to Sweat in the rumor mill, though Green Bay pushed back on that talk earlier this week.
Sweat, 29, entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Florida State. He finished the final season of his four-year, $3.05 million rookie deal and made a base salary of $920,000 in 2021.
He was set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022 before signing a three-year, $42 million extension. After playing out that contract, he was again scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025 before landing a four-year, $76 million deal with the Cardinals.
In 2025, Sweat played in all 17 games and posted 30 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, one recovery, and two pass deflections.
More on Sweat will come as it becomes available.
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The latest twist is that the talks appear to be moving, which gives this negotiation a different feel than the ones that initially sounded like they might linger. Receiver deals around the league have helped establish the framework, and if the Cardinals can get something done, it figures to reflect that level of value. Nothing is finalized yet, but this is the kind of conversation that can shift quickly once both sides start closing in on the real number. [Read more 🡒]