The biggest defensive concern remaining for the Green Bay Packers is whether or not the franchise has enough depth to cover for the loss of Micah Parsons. Even with Lukas Van Ness looking great in camp, there is a lack of established pass-rushing options, which has one obvious answer. Current Arizona Cardinals defender Josh Sweat has been the source of trade speculation over the last few months. It makes sense for Arizona to attempt to cash in on last season's 12.0 sacks, understanding the veteran no longer fits their timeline for contention.
Arizona has every reason to turn the page on the veteran and hope that you are able to get notable picks in return. As harsh as it might seem, you're not going to win anything of note with Gardner Minshew or Jacoby Brissett as your starting quarterback. Sweat is a veteran who deserves a chance to contribute to a roster with realistic expectations of contention.
With this in mind, the above trade seems like a fitting answer for both sides. Sweat gets a chance to contend while the Cardinals have a chance to add day two picks, bolstering their chances of continuing to build a contender in what is an incredibly difficult division. You're being faced with attempting to contend with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and a Los Angeles Rams team that spent the offseason loading up its roster to leave no doubt they are NFC favorites.
The Cardinals do not have a realistic path to meaningful contention and should take advantage of Sweat's value increasing your chances of adding building blocks. For the Packers, you have a chance to put together the league's most talented pass-rushing duo.
Packers Shouldn't Hesitate to Pull the Trigger on Potential Josh Sweat Trade
Sweat and Van Ness are more than enough to give you a capable unit until the return of Parsons, once the star returns, you have the league's best pass rushing duo. Sweat's ability cannot be underrated and will only be heightened by playing alongside the elite talent that is Parsons.
The only downside here is the $23 million cap hit that Sweat will have in both the 2027 and 2028 seasons. This spends a lot of Green Bay's cap on one position, leaving room to wonder if you can pay your young pieces in the future while maintaining the duo.
Regardless of the answer, how drastically this improves your 2026 ceiling has to be noted and should leave Green Bay jumping at the chance to make a trade that answers the biggest defensive question and should push the Packers back to the top of the NFC North.
Add us as a preferred source on Google