Josh

Sweat

Only the Cardinals could find a way to turn offseason team activities in a year in which they are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL into a dramatic exercise. Brissett looks to be pushing all his available leverage on a potential contract extension, though the fact that there’s really been no report that the Cardinals are looking to do something with him seems to be very telling. As for Sweat, his name has been bandied about in trade rumors but, again, the Cardinals don’t appear to have much interest in dealing him at this time.

Josh Sweat is also present and accounted for after the pass rusher, like Brissett, opted out of voluntary OTAs. Brissett was rumored to be planning to attend camp, in part to avoid any fines that would come with staying away, but how much he participates in drills will be worth keeping an eye on. Brissett continues to hold out hope for a pay bump after earning the QB1 job with his 2025 performance. His 2026 base salary of $4.88 million puts him in range with most backups across the league.

Sweat joined the Cardinals last season, but is now staying away from the offseason program and letting it be known he’s unhappy, according to Graziano. If traded, the Cardinals would have to eat a significant dead cap charge and the trade compensation will likely reflect that. Graziano mentions the Patriots and Cowboys as teams with potential interest.

This contradicts reports from last week that the Cardinals had received calls from potential suitors for Sweat as the veteran remains unsatisfied with his current contract situation. Sweat, who last season signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal with Arizona, racked up a dozen sacks and 17 quarterback hits last season for the bottom-dwelling Cards defense. It looks like, for now, Sweat will remain with the Cardinals. Arizona ranked 28th in QB pressure rate last season.

That would seem to make logical sense considering Sweat followed Jonathan Gannon to Arizona and has been linked to reports indicating he in unhappy with his situation following the firing of his former head coach. Nothing substantial has been passed from a reputable source but this goes down as another notch towards a potential trade for the veteran pass rusher. Sweat’s contract could be a tricky one to unload after signing a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the Cardinals prior to the 2025 season.

Odegard corroborates a report by Arizona sports radio host John Gambadoro that Sweat’s absence from Cardinals OTAs is not injury-related. The 29-year-old pass rusher signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with Arizona last offseason and will enter the second year of this deal in 2026. Sweat tallied a career-high 12.0 sacks in 17 games for the Cardinals last season, adding four forced fumbles. With edge rushers seemingly re-setting the market with every new contract, Sweat is now outside the top-20 EDGE contracts in average annual salary. It is unclear if Sweat’s absence is fully due to a contract dispute or if there are other factors involved, but the veteran edge rusher is absent from Cardinals organized team activities for now.

Sweat was the only Cardinal with a questionable tag for this game. Inactive for Arizona are OG Evan Brown. TE Rivaldo Fairweather. K Joshua Karty, LB Austin Keys, CB Kalen King, CB Max Melton, and DT P.J. Mustipher.

Sweat is definitely in danger of missing the game after three straight DNPs this week. He left Week 16’s game with the ankle designation. Also questionable for the Cardinals’ defense are Max Melton (heel) and Will Johnson (thumb/chest), each of whom got in three limited sessions in Week 17.

Nolen was knocked down after getting tangled up in a block. He returned to his feet and attempted to step forward in pursuit of Falcons QB Kirk Cousins but pulled up, grabbing at his left knee. He was ruled out shortly thereafter. The Cardinals also ruled out EDGE Josh Sweat (ankle), after he was initially questionable to return.

The deal includes $41 million guaranteed. One of the market’s top edge rushers, Sweat will be reuniting with former Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon in the desert. With the Eagles since 2018, Sweat has notched only one 10-sack season, but he’s been a reliable generator of pressure on passing downs. His role should remain the same in Arizona, keeping him in the 700-800 snap range.