Josh Sweat’s situation in Arizona is still simmering, and the timing may be the biggest obstacle of all.
The Cardinals edge rusher is officially on PUP with what’s being called “knee maintenance,” but the broader picture points to something closer to a hold-in. Sweat had already asked for a trade during the offseason, and reporting from below adds another wrinkle: he reportedly went to the team the day Jonathan Gannon was fired.
That connection matters because the Packers have a clear interest in pass-rush help. Green Bay is waiting for Micah Parsons to return sometime between Weeks 5 and 8-ish, and until then the need on the edge is obvious. If a deal ever came together, it would give the Packers a potential trio of Parsons, Sweat, and Lukas Van Ness, who, despite injuries, had started to look like the player Green Bay hoped he would be in the last few weeks of 2025.
Per Easton Butler, who has been on top of multiple trades over the past few years, Green Bay did talk with Arizona about Sweat earlier in the offseason. The problem is that the Packers’ offer reportedly hasn’t gotten to the number Arizona wants.
That’s where the real standoff lives. Green Bay’s interest is strongest right now, while Parsons works through rehab from his ACL tear.
Arizona, meanwhile, has no real reason to rush. The trade deadline doesn’t come until November 10th, between weeks nine and ten, so the Cardinals can afford to wait and see whether the market improves.
Sweat can keep doing what is officially being framed as injury rehab, but that doesn’t necessarily change how teams view him. If everyone around the league knows he’s healthy enough to play, the hold-in doesn’t really depress his value. Arizona also seems likely to be focused on maximizing compensation rather than moving him quickly, especially with 2026 in mind.
As appealing as Sweat would look in Green and Gold, the fit is harder to line up than it seems. His value to the Packers is at its peak now, but by the time Arizona feels pressure to deal, Green Bay’s current offer could be stale and other teams could jump in. And because Sweat’s contract is made up entirely of non-guaranteed money from here on out, there’s plenty of financial flexibility for a contender.
Green Bay should remain in the mix, but if Parsons is back and Van Ness keeps trending upward, the Packers may not need to chase Sweat all the way to November.
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