Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat is not headed to Green Bay, according to a local radio host who has followed the team for years.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports addressed the latest chatter Friday after a caller asked about trade smoke involving Sweat and the Packers.
“Smoke as in being traded to GB – Yes, all ridiculous talk – he is not getting traded to the Packers. They are building him up. They activated him but didn’t throw him in right away as he did not take part in any of the team reps vs the Packers in the joint practices.”
Gambadoro said the Cardinals are working Sweat back into the fold after a knee issue kept him out of most of training camp.The 29-year-old was activated from the physically unable to perform list this week. That move came just as Arizona held joint practices with Green Bay, which only added fuel to online speculation.
Sweat did not take part in team drills during those sessions. The team is easing him back rather than rushing him onto the field.NFL insiders have offered the same message for months. Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter both have said the Cardinals are not shopping the Pro Bowl pass rusher.
Schefter appeared on an ESPN Milwaukee show and put it plainly.
“I try to deal with facts and realities, and all I can tell you is I know there have been teams that have reached out to them, and I know they’ve been told they’re not trading them.”
Schefter noted teams have called and been turned away. He added that situations can change later, pointing to past deals involving Khalil Mack and Micah Parsons after similar denials.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort made a similar point on Aug. 10. He said the club has no interest in moving Sweat and remains excited about what the veteran can still do.
Sweat signed a four-year, $76 million contract last year. This is the second season of that deal.He produced a career-high 12 sacks in 2025 and earned his first Pro Bowl nod. Those numbers came in his first year with Arizona after years in Philadelphia.
The rumors gained traction because Sweat played under Jonathan Gannon with the Eagles and again in Arizona. Gannon now runs the Packers defense.
Some fans saw the timing of Sweat’s activation, right before practices against Green Bay, as a possible signal. Team sources and reporters covering the Cardinals have rejected that reading.
Sweat’s next game will not come in the preseason. The earliest he can play is the regular-season opener.
Arizona visits the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. Gambadoro said Sweat’s availability for that game remains uncertain.
The team plans to give him more practice work next week. If he is not ready, the Cardinals can simply list him as inactive.
Placing him on injured reserve would force him to miss the first four games. That step looks unlikely given how the club has handled his return so far.
For now the Cardinals appear committed to keeping their top pass rusher. Whether that stance holds once the season starts and the standings take shape is a question for later.
