After winning Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles, edge rusher Josh Sweat signed with the Arizona Cardinals to reunite with his former defensive coordinator Jonathon Gannon. One year later, with Gannon out of town, Sweat has sought his way out of Arizona.
Sweat, who signed a four-year deal worth $76.4 million in March 2025, requested a trade this offseason, then opted to be a hold-in for OTAs as he nursed his way back from an injury. The Pro Bowl pass rusher is highly coveted around the league and been the subejct of NFL trade rumors, but his path to a new franchise appears to be blocked.
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Josh Sweat contract (Spotrac): $16.385 million cap hit in 2026, $23.605 million cap hits in 2027-28
Speaking to reporters this week at Cardinals training camp, general manager Monti Ossenfort made it clear the team has no intention of trading Sweat.
“There’s always a lot of talk that goes around that. We have no interest in trading Josh. We’re excited to have him, but some of those discussions are going to keep private, but excited to have Josh here. Had a great year last year. Excited for more good things out of him this year.”
Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort on Josh Sweat trade rumors
While Arizona is effectively in the early stages of a rebuild, it currently has no incentive to trade Sweat. He is easily the team’s best pass rusher, with an alarming lack of depth behind him at edge defender.
Ossenfort’s public comments are also a sign that none of his peers who have approached him about acquiring Sweat have offered anything close worth considering. The Eagles and the Green Bay Packers, who hired Gannon as defensive coordinator this spring, have been linked to Sweat in trade rumors but no deal is coming anytime soon.
The soonest things might change is around the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 10. By that point, with Arizona in the mix for the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, Ossenfort and the Cardinals front office might be more receptive to trading one of their best players but it’s going to cost another team a Day 2 pick at a minimum.
Matt Johnson is Senior Editor of NFL and College Football for Sportsnaut. His work, including weekly NFL and college … More about Matt Johnson