Josh Sweat is open to a trade from the Arizona Cardinals, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Multiple teams are interested, though it ultimately comes down to whether the Cardinals actually want to move him at the deadline.
Here's what Schultz reported on X:
"Sources: The belief around the NFL is that #Cardinals DE Josh Sweat would be open to a trade, as he has been dating back to the offseason, and it’s up to Arizona whether it ultimately decides to deal him. Multiple teams would have interest in Sweat, but the asking price is believed to be high. Arizona has given the impression they’re fine keeping him."
That asking price set by Arizona is believed to be a high Day 2 pick, according to PHNX's Johnny Venerable.
Potential landing spots for Cardinals' Josh Sweat
One potential trade partner is the Dallas Cowboys, with Sunday's win at AT&T Stadium serving as a potential trade audition for Sweat.
Two landing spots off the table are likely the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, with their respective trades for Jeffery Simmons and DeForest Buckner. With Chicago upgrading its defense with Simmons, it could even make sense for an NFC North team like the Detroit Lions or Green Bay Packers to acquire Sweat as a countermove.
It wouldn't be surprising to see other teams emerge in the running as well, especially as we get closer to the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Hopefully, the pass rushers already coming off the market boost Sweat's trade value. It's a steep asking price that the Cardinals should ultimately consider lowering depending on whether they can get into a bidding war.
Cardinals need more urgency to trade Josh Sweat
Sweat has no guaranteed money on his deal after this season, and the Cardinals should be proactive about trading him before he seeks a new contract. At 29 years old with injury history, he doesn't fit their rebuilding timeline.
He's also, quite frankly, just not worth the headache after requesting a trade previously when the Cardinals moved on from head coach Jonathan Gannon. Now he could have a chance to reunite with Gannon in Green Bay, depending on their trade interest.
Sweat is having a relatively down season compared to last year, so hopefully a contender still views him as the piece their defense needs to get them over the top. Arizona has already flipped Marvin Harrison Jr. into future draft capital with its trade with the Houston Texans, looking ahead to the future under the new Mike LaFleur era.
It's off to a promising start as they've already pulled off three upsets this season, but the Cardinals can't let that distract them from the bigger picture. This team still has a long way to go to catch up in the loaded NFC West, and they need to consider moving veterans like Sweat at the deadline to reset their timeline.
It's another step back in the short term, but a necessary one with the Cardinals' roster in need of a reset. Hopefully, telling teams they’re fine keeping Sweat is just a bluff to maintain leverage. It seems like such a Cardinals thing to keep Sweat and then struggle after the deadline. We'll see in roughly a week whether the Harrison trade is a one-off, but Sweat should be on that list of traded Cardinals as well -- even if it means lowering their currently steep asking price.
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