​Super Bowl champion pass rusher unhappy in Arizona, and Jerry Jones should be paying close attention originally appeared on The Sporting News. The Sporting News should be added as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Josh Sweat delivered on the field for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025, but off the field the situation is complicated, providing Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office with a reason to monitor the player’s availability.
Sweat, who signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with Arizona, skipped the team’s voluntary offseason program and reported only for mandatory minicamp to avoid fines, subsequently choosing not to participate in on-field work. Reporters have indicated that his absence stems from an organizational disagreement, even though Sweat posted a career-high 12 sacks last season. That level of production is precisely why Dallas should keep a close eye on the situation.
Sweat earned his championship ring at Super Bowl LIX and actually had the best season of his career last year, recording 30 tackles while appearing in all 17 games. Those numbers provided a major bright spot for an Arizona defense that finished tied for having the third-fewest sacks in the league. His frustration largely stems from a coaching change: Jonathan Gannon, who coached Sweat in Philadelphia and persuaded him to sign with Arizona initially, was fired in January after an underwhelming 4-13 campaign. Now Sweat finds himself playing for a brand-new coaching staff he didn’t choose.
NFL Trade Rumors’ Logan Ulrich didn’t mince words about the fallout last month, writing, “There’s no shortage of reasons for him to be frustrated with the Cardinals right now, and the rest of the league knows it.” Dallas’s fit is clear when you look at it. The Cowboys’ edge group remains relatively unproven; for instance, Rashan Gary hasn’t surpassed 7.5 sacks in either of the last two seasons, Malachi Lawrence and Donovan Ezeiruaku are both still raw, and Sam Williams is still developing.
For the moment, Arizona insists Sweat isn’t going anywhere. Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort hasn’t shown any rush to move him, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has dismissed all recent Green Bay Packers rumors. Yet Sweat’s contract has no guaranteed money left after this season. If Arizona falters out of playoff contention, the November 3 trade deadline could alter the landscape, making it prudent for the Cowboys to stay ready.
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