Report: Josh Sweat, Cardinals Agree to $76.4M Contract After Eagles' Super Bowl Win

The Philadelphia Eagles were always going to have a tough time retaining all of their free agents after an excellent 2024 season, and Super Bowl hero Josh Sweat was ultimately one of the players who got away.

The veteran defensive end signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal reportedly includes $41 million in guaranteed money.

The deal ends a seven-year tenure in Philly for Sweat.

While Sweat, 27, was often overlooked during his Philadelphia tenure in favor of longtime Eagles defensive linemen like Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, young superstar defensive tackle Jalen Carter or former edge-rusher Haason Reddick, he was always a solid contributor, accumulating 43 sacks, 97 quarterback hits, 54 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles.

He managed just one season with double-digit sacks, though he's posted five straight campaigns with six or more. And he was a beast in the Super Bowl, accumulating 2.5 sacks in Philly's blowout win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

But the Eagles found themselves with key free agents at other positions this offseason. Defensive Player of the Year finalist Zack Baun was always going to be a priority to retain, while Milton Williams had a breakout year at defensive tackle and Mekhi Becton was fantastic at guard.

And given the emergence of both Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt off the edge, the presence of Bryce Huff—one of the team's marquee additions last offseason who had a disappointing 2024 campaign—and a solid group of edge-rushers at this year's draft, Sweat was seemingly deemed expendable by Philadelphia.

Their loss is the Cardinals' gain. Sweat wasn't the sexiest option on the board during free agency, but he'll make a positive impact off the edge for Arizona.

And the Cardinals desperately need to upgrade their pass rush after Zaven Collins led the team with five sacks. The Cardinals managed to generate pressure from a variety of sources—17 different players had sacks for the team last season—but some more sustained pressure from a player like Sweat will be welcome.