Josh Sweat is one of the top defenders in the NFL and recently earned himself a massive payday following an incredible campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles that resulted in a Super Bowl win.
Sweat signed a four-year, $75.4 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason but hilariously forgot it when a content creator asked him which team he played for.
Josh Sweat Forgets He Signed With The Arizona Cardinals
Sweat was out in his McLaren when a content creator asked him about his profession. The 28-year-old replied by stating NFL, and when the creator asked about the team he played, he named the Eagles, and the video went viral on the internet.
TRENDING: Super Bowl Champion Josh Sweat still says that he plays for the Philadelphia #Eagles.
👀
Sweat signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Arizona #Cardinals.
EAGLE FOR LIFE.
pic.twitter.com/6WV4PH9X0N— MLFootball (@_MLFootball)
While Sweat did say “well, not anymore” in a low tone, Philly fans termed it “adorable,” with many calling him an Eagles fan for life.
“This is kinda adorable,” a fan wrote.
“We still claim him! 🦅 for life. He just cashin the bag in AZ,” another fan wrote.
Interestingly, one Cardinals fan noted that they didn’t care about it as long as Sweat produced a nine-sack season.
“As a Cardinals fan, I really don’t care as long as he gets us 9 sacks next year,” the fan wrote.
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Sweat has played for the Eagles for almost his entire NFL career so far, so it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise that he seemingly hasn’t gotten used to being a Cardinal. He was picked 130th overall by the Eagles in the 2018 NFL Draft, and recorded an impressive 43 sacks in seven seasons in addition to 237 total tackles.
The 28-year-old played an instrumental part in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win, recording a career-high 2.5 sacks per game, six tackles, two tackles for a loss, and three QB hits. As ESPN’s Next Gen Stats noted, he generated a team-high six pressures on 34 pass rushes. The Eagles were able to record six sacks against Mahomes without blitzing once.
This performance boosted Sweat’s value in free agency, and it was the Cardinals who came up with the highest bid.
Sweat’s Impact on Cardinals
Sweat re-joining his former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in Arizona was one of the more predictable free agent fits. That doesn’t make it a problematic signing, though, especially given that Sweat’s deal is averaging only $19.1 million per year.
He did get a healthy $41 million guarantee, but that only puts Sweat 12th among edge rushers in average annual value and 10th in guaranteed money. For a player who was PFSN’s No. 1 overall free agent due to his three-down value in a weak free-agent edge rusher class, that’s not bad value at all.
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Sweat is an important boost to a woeful Cardinals pass rush. Arizona ranked 25th in pressure rate last season, and ranks 27th in two seasons since Gannon became the team’s head coach. Sweat was rotated more in 2024 than he was two years ago, but still recorded a career-high 14.1% pressure rate while playing 59% of the team’s snaps.
He’ll now become the unquestioned top pass rusher for the Cardinals. There’s some risk in his projection considering that he won’t have Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams at defensive tackle anymore. However, Sweat is a sorely needed infusion of talent for a Cardinals defense that needs to show some results in Gannon’s third season.
