In a recent bold trade prediction for the 2026 season made by Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox, the Arizona Cardinals ship Josh Sweat to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a conditional 2027 fourth-round pick.
Sweat has survived trade rumors and, by all indications, will be on this Arizona roster to start the 2026 season. Not only is the September 13 season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers fast approaching, but the Cardinals have also signaled to interested teams that they aren't planning to trade Sweat.
However, Knox makes the case that just because the Cardinals aren't making Sweat available now doesn't mean their stance won't change when they inevitably fall out of the playoff picture:
"Arizona will likely change its stance on trading players if and when it becomes clear that it can't contend in 2026—or if it becomes obvious that rookie quarterback Carson Beck isn't a franchise savior."
Why Cardinals could still trade Josh Sweat before the deadline
The fact that the Cardinals made these short-term decisions, such as keeping Sweat and reworking Jacoby Brissett's deal, suggests they intended to be competitive this season. While there's reason to be optimistic for the new era under Mike LaFleur, that's going to be a multi-year work in progress -- one that doesn't align with where Sweat is in his career timeline.
While the Cardinals have indicated they'd like to keep Sweat, there's a scenario where their hand is forced later in the season. Factoring in their brutal schedule, the 2026 Cardinals should finish around last year's three-win mark. That could run the risk of a disgruntled Sweat requesting a trade before the deadline.
Or perhaps they even get a reality check of how far the gap truly is between them and the rest of the contender-level teams in a stacked NFC West.
Either way, it's easy to see a world in which these Sweat trade rumors resurface later in the season when it's more of the same struggles for Arizona. At which point both Sweat and the Cardinals will have to reevaluate whether they fit into each other's plans going forward.
The trade deadline isn't until November, which gives teams a sense of where they sit amongst the rest of the league. A borderline contender in need of an upgrade at edge -- like the Bears opposite Montez Sweat -- could view Sweat as a potential missing piece to set themselves up for a deep playoff run.
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