Trade talk involving the Green Bay Packers having interest in Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat has intensified this week, yet the team’s general manager continues to insist the veteran is staying put.
Both the Cardinals and Packers had key front-office members on site at Lambeau Field earlier than expected ahead of their preseason finale. That timing, combined with Sweat’s recent activation, has kept the rumor mill spinning.
Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort addressed the speculation more than two weeks ago and left little room for interpretation.
“There’s always a lot of talk that goes around that. We have no interest in trading Josh,” Ossenfort said Aug. 11, per ESPN.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter said that message has not changed even as other clubs have inquired.
“I try to deal in facts and realities, and all I can tell you is I know there have been teams that have reached out to them (the Cardinals), and I know they have been told they’re not trading him,” Schefter said recently.
The Cardinals kept Sweat on the physically unable to perform list for most of August. They then cleared him shortly before the joint practices with Green Bay, a move that immediately drew attention around the league.
Rival executives saw an opportunity to evaluate Sweat’s health while Arizona still held flexibility on his roster status.
Schefter noted that a future change of heart remains possible, even if the current answer is no.
“Now, could they change their stance down the line? Sure, but there have been teams that recently have reached out, and they have told those teams, ‘We are not trading him’,” Schefter said. “League history shows public denials do not always hold. Teams have walked back similar statements when the right offer arrived.”
“I’ll just say this. The Raiders said they would never trade Khalil Mack, and they did. And the Cowboys said they would never trade Micah Parsons, but they did. So we’re not going to be naive to say these things don’t happen. I’m just telling you that teams have called there recently and have been told they’re not trading him.”
Arizona appears to be in no rush. The 53-man roster deadline is approaching, and that calendar pressure often forces contending teams to increase their offers.
The Cardinals have already lowered their initial demand from a straight second-round pick to a package that includes a player plus a draft choice.
Accepting the first decent offer would suggest they are eager to move Sweat. Holding firm signals they are prepared to keep him for Week 1 unless a suitor matches their valuation.
Green Bay, once it locks in its own 53-man roster, will have a clearer view of its cap situation and any redundant players. That is the moment the Packers could assemble a specific package that meets Arizona’s price.
By activating Sweat when they did, the Cardinals allowed other general managers a look at him without committing to an immediate deal.
Arizona does not have to place him on the active roster until the cutdown paperwork is due. That window gives the club time to wait for the right return rather than force a transaction this week.
The combination of public statements, roster timing and historical precedent has left the situation unsettled heading into the final days of the preseason.
