Making sense of the conflicting accounts about Josh Sweat

Depending on which report you read, the Cardinals will either trade Josh Sweat in the coming days or have no interest in moving him. Let's try to untangle the web of conflicting accounts.

The NFL didn’t wait long into the post-June 1 period to hit the news accelerator. On Monday, the Cleveland Browns agreed to trade reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Verse and draft consideration. That same day, the New England Patriots made their own landscape-shifting trade, finalizing terms on a deal for Philadelphia Eagles superstar A.J. Brown.

While neither move should come as a surprise -- the Patriots made no secret of their interest in Brown, and The Leap forecasted Garrett’s departure from Cleveland before the trade -- the significant action from multiple Super Bowl LXI contenders suggested that even more transactions could soon follow. One such possibility involves Josh Sweat, the Arizona Cardinals’ star pass rusher.

Teams typically do not pursue opportunities to trade away their best players, but both sides have ample motivation to pursue a separation. For Sweat, a recent Super Bowl champion who just completed his most productive individual season, extending his stay in the desert would likely do little to enhance his résumé. As for the Cardinals, who began a rebuild in earnest this offseason by jettisoning their head coach and longtime starting quarterback, swapping a 29-year-old veteran for draft picks and/or younger assets would better fit their timeline.

And if Sweat does become available, it doesn’t take much effort to connect the dots between him and the Green Bay Packers. Sweat broke out in 2021 as a member of the Eagles, who employed Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator. When Sweat hit the open market in 2025, he signed in Arizona to reunite with Gannon. Gannon, of course, now serves as the DC in Green Bay.

Peter laid out the case for the Packers pursuing Sweat earlier this week, including what a trade might cost. However, the discussion only matters if the Cardinals actually make the veteran pass rusher available, and the various reports on that matter so far point in wildly different directions.

So, why don’t we have a clearer indication of the Sweat situation? Today’s edition of The Leap attempts to untangle the web of conflicting accounts.

Reporter versus reporter