Trade rumors surrounding Josh Sweat and the Arizona Cardinals were circulating this offseason. Many wondered whether Arizona, a three-win rebuilding team, would look to ship its veteran outside linebacker in exchange for future assets. There was uncertainty if Sweat, being the veteran he is, was even willing to endure this rebuilding process despite having inked a 4-year, $76.4 million deal back in 2025.
Well, at least from the Cardinals' end, that uncertainty was addressed head-on by general manager Monti Ossenfort, squashing trade rumors in a press conference Monday:Â
"There's always a lot of talk that goes around that,"Â Ossenfort said. "We have no interest in trading Josh. We're excited to have him, but some of those discussions are going to stay private, but excited to have Josh here. Had a great year last year. Excited for more good things out of him this year."
Why the Cardinals shouldn't trade Josh Sweat
That's ultimately the correct trade stance to for Ossenfort to take. Unless Sweat directly requests a trade, which, unfortunately, remains a possibility, the Cardinals have no reason to make things worse on their end.
Teams like the Green Bay Packers and a reunion with the Philadelphia Eagles were mentioned as potential landing spots should the Cardinals shop Sweat. That no longer appears to be the case, and rightfully so, as the value he provides this Cardinals defense outweighs whatever value they'd receive in a deal. One of FanSided's trade proposals has Arizona shipping Sweat to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick, for instance.
This actually isn't something Arizona needs to resolve anytime soon. Even with Sweat in the equation, they should still be bad enough to be in the conversation for a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Vegas has them set at 3.5 wins and the highest odds of landing the top pick.
If they can land that franchise signal-caller in the 2027 class, don't count out the Cardinals to make playoff noise sooner than expected. They already have the offensive playmakers to become an elite offense should they find that missing piece. The only thing limiting that ceiling then becomes the defense, making it all the more important that Arizona holds onto Sweat.
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