Realistic Josh Sweat trade packages the Packers, Bears and Cowboys could offer

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat is not being traded ahead of the 2026 season, at least according to NFL insider Ian Rapaport. But all fans know every player isn't being traded until they are. Every team has its price.

Initially, it was believed the Cardinals and Sweat were having issues, so much so that his departure from the desert after just one season of a four-year, $76.4 million was on the table. Sweat recorded a career-high 12 sacks in 2025m which would leave his trade stock at its highest for an Arizona team clearly in the midst of a rebuild.

General manager Monti Ossenfort can't get greedy, however. Top contenders in the NFC will come calling for Sweat's services if he's truly available, but the 2018 fourth-round pick won't net much more than a top-100 pick in next year's draft. Let's explore what some hypothetical trades would look like.

Green Bay Packers

Despite the addition of Micah Parsons, the Green Bay Packers could use additional pass-rush support on defense. Parsons is expected to miss the start of the 2026 campaign while he recovers from an ACL injury, so having Sweat as a reinforcement would be invaluable. The latter would be reunited with his former head coach Jonathan Gannon as well. Sweat had his career year under Gannon, so he could be a plug-and-play option within this scheme.

Sweat comes with a $9.78 million salary cap hit, and Green Bay recently cleared $9.3 million in space. His contract could be reworked, but there would need to be some sort of compensation from the Cardinals to incentivize the extra financial gymnastics. That's where this potential deal would involve a 2027 sixth-rounder heading to the Packers. Otherwise, Arizona gets its top-100 pick in a third-rounder next April plus an additional pick the following year as the rebuild continues.

Chicago Bears

With the NFC North arms race heating up, the Chicago Bears are going to need to counter every upgrade their rivals make. Should an ambitious pursuit of Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby not work out, turning the team's attention to Sweat may be more realistic. Plus, the memes would be immaculate if Chicago managed to have two Sweats (Josh and Montez) on the pass rush unit.

The Bears would likely demand similar compensation as Green Bay to make Josh Sweat's contract work with its financials, especially as his salary cap hit balloons to $23.6 million in 2027. Though having that draft capital arrive a year later may make Arizona more willing to follow through on a deal. That concession may cost the additional pick the Cardinals would receive in a swap, however. It's really going to come down to how desperately Ossenfort wants to capitalize on Sweat's value this year.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are still trying to make up for the Parsons trade, which has essentially put Jerry Jones in the position of never having enough pass rushers. Adding Sweat would put him alongside the likes of the newly acquired Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams. Sweat would also be familiar with defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who overlapped with him while both were members of the Philadelphia Eagles — the team that drafted Sweat in 2018.

Dallas could get away with just a straight player-for-picks deal here. There is a greater chance, compared to Chicago and Green Bay, that the Cowboys' picks will be more valuable. Arizona is guaranteed a top-100 selection with a third-round pick, and then adding a 2028 fifth gives the team flexibility to package another team's pick in a potential future deal. With highly anticipated talent expected to enter the league over the next two years, stocking up on those selections is going to come in handy.

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