98.7 FM ArizonaSports Arizona Cardinals ESPN’s Bowen: Amari Cooper and Josh Sweat are the Cardinals’ top free agents 19 February 2025, 9:23 A.M. Shared by Tyler Drake, an ArizonaSports.com editor and Cardinals reporter One name has been floating around the Arizona Cardinals and the other non-playoff teams since the offseason started: pass rusher Josh Sweat.
The free agent would immediately improve Arizona’s greatest weakness, in addition to his already-existing relationship with head coach Jonathan Gannon, who served as Sweat’s DC in Philadelphia from 2021 to 2022. These factors make the Cardinals the ideal team to sign his seventh-highest ranked free agent this offseason, according to ESPN’s Matt Bowen.
The veteran edge rusher is coming off one of his best regular seasons as a pro behind 41 pressures, 8.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 15 QB hits across 16 games (15 starts).
It was his play in Super Bowl LIX that was the exclamation point on his season, though, with 2.5 sacks in a dominant win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts took home Super Bowl MVP honors that night, but the pass rusher was right up there for consideration.
MVP or not, that performance did one thing: Increase the price tag for the free agent, who played on a one-year, $10 million deal in 2024. There is no way those figures are anywhere close to what he is going to command this free agency.
The Cardinals have cap space to spend, but with other needs and re-signings, just how much are they willing to lock up on a single player?
General manager Monti Ossenfort has been very measured in his spending on free agents, instead focusing on the NFL Draft to further build out the roster.
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