On Tuesday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Arizona Cardinals have “received trade calls” regarding defensive end Josh Sweat. Which, given the Bears’ need for a pass rusher of his caliber opposite Montez Sweat — whether they want to publicly admit such or not — is interesting.
While certainly interesting, I’m not sure it necessarily holds any real weight for the Bears aspect. But let’s unpack this a little bit, because why not? It’s May 26, and we don’t have much else to discuss.
Sources: The #Cardinals have received trade calls on Pro Bowl DE Josh Sweat.Sweat had 12 sacks last season in his first year with Arizona and had a close relationship with Jonathan Gannon, whom the Cardinals moved on from. pic.twitter.com/ateZ6r4bi4
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 26, 2026The Cardinals Are Reportedly Taking Phone Calls on Josh Sweat — Should the Bears Be Interested?
Let’s start with Schultz’s wording: “The Cardinals have received trade calls on Pro Bowl DE Josh Sweat.”
That could mean a bunch of things or nothing at all. A roofing company cold-calling me and offering me an estimate on a new roof doesn’t mean I’m interested in a new roof. It simply means there’s interest on their end. That could be the extent of all of this. Teams — none of which we know — are interested in Sweat. Considering Sweat racked up a career-best 12 sacks with the Cardinals and has 55 sacks and 114 quarterback hits in his eight seasons, that’s not hard to believe.
Now, if Schultz worded the tweet in a way that indicated the Cardinals were looking to trade Sweat, this would all be much more interesting. For argument’s sake, let’s pretend there’s some interest in Arizona’s front office in trading Sweat, because otherwise, this is a nothing-burger.
Arizona isn’t winning anytime soon. They have a new head coach in place, they still need to draft a quarterback, which is something they’ll likely be in a position to do next spring, and Sweat signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal last spring that carries cap numbers of $16.3 million in 2026, and $23.6 million in 2027, and 2028. It’s plausible Arizona would be willing to bank some prime 2027 draft capital in exchange for a soon-to-be 30-year-old pass rusher when they’re not even remotely close to winning anything, or even competing.
It’s also plausible that Sweat wouldn’t mind a change of scenery for the same reasons, and because he signed with the Cardinals, intending to play for his old defensive coordinator in Philly, Jonathan Gannon, who was fired by the team in January.
All that said, the likelihood that one or both sides would be interested in getting a trade done certainly passes the sniff test.
© Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesNow, the fun part — does a potential Josh Sweat trade make sense for the Bears? We won’t even try to speculate what the Bears’ interest is, because they’re not 1) linked to Sweat by anyone credible and 2) running with the public sentiment that they’re fine and dandy on the defensive line, even if they’re mistaken, that’s their public stance.
Sweat is a 29-year-old pass rusher who was among the top targets of many clubs when he was a free agent following an eight-sack season with the Eagles in 2024, capped off by a monster Super Bowl performance in which he logged 2.5 sacks and forced a big turnover in Philly’s win over the Chiefs. He earned a sizeable payday on the open market, secured it, and then doubled down with the best season of his career in Arizona last year.
From a purely roster construction standpoint, it makes perfect sense for Chicago to be interested in acquiring his services. Which brings us to the cost of that acquisition. Maxx Crosby’s price tag was two first-rounders. Micah Parsons’ price tag was a first-rounder, a second-rounder, and a three-time Pro Bowler in Kenny Clark.
Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesIf Sweat is truly available, I would have to imagine his price tag would be in the same ballpark. He doesn’t have the same name appeal as Crosby or Parsons, but he has the numbers, the age, and an extremely reasonable contract. He’s the 23rd-highest-paid edge rusher in football, and he wouldn’t even be the highest-paid Sweat in Chicago at his current numbers.
So, here we are, back at the same place we were with the Maxx Crosby debate a few months ago. Does it make sense to send two first-rounders another team’s way to land that elusive disruptive edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat?
I have two feelings on this. First, I feel like I’d be more comfortable sending those picks to Arizona for Sweat than I was sending them to Vegas for Crosby. Age, health, and contractual obligations all play a heavy role in that feeling. But, I find myself landing in the same place I did with Crosby: It’s just too much — for now. But that’s just my opinion. You can create all the Photoshop of Sweat in a Bears jersey you want.
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