The Green Bay Packers are seeking more defensive line help after struggling to consistently get after opposing quarterbacks during the 2025 NFL season, and ESPN’s latest projection has them making a big splash in free agency to find it.
The Packers are expected to break from the norm and become big players in free agency when the NFL’s legal tampering period kicks off negotiations at noon ET on March 10. While finding a No. 1 wide receiver and at least one new starting cornerback could take priority, it remains possible the Packers could aggressive pursue a veteran pass rusher.
And from ESPN’s vantage, Philadelphia Eagles star Josh Sweat makes the most sense.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky — one of the top insiders on the Packers beat — projected the team to make a four-year, $72 million offer with $24 million in guaranteed money to Sweat to secure him for their defense with eyes on contention during the 2025 season.
“The Packers desperately want to put pressure on the quarterback without blitzing,” Demovsky wrote Wednesday. “That’s defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s ideal scenario. It didn’t happen enough last season, and Green Bay watched Philadelphia dominate the line of scrimmage in the wild-card playoff meeting.
“The guaranteed money is entirely in a signing bonus, and we’d have roster bonuses in the range of $4 million to $8.5 million in March of each year of the deal.”
Josh Sweat Had 2.5 Sacks for Eagles in Super Bowl Win
Sweat helped his market quite a bit with a strong 2024 season with the Eagles.
In 16 games, he tallied eight sacks, nine tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits on a loaded Eagles defensive line and recorded at least 40 tackles for a fourth consecutive season. He also further boosted his market with an impressive 2.5-sack performance in Philadelphia’s dominant win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl.
If the Packers are willing to meet his price, Sweat would be a valuable addition to their frontlines alongside former first-round picks Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Devonta Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness — especially at just 27 years old with runway left on his prime.
Whether the Packers look into signing Sweat, though, will depend on how desperately they feel they need to enhance their edge-rushing attack — and how they want to do it.
The Packers will expectedly look to add defensive linemen this offseason, but they may prefer to make their big investment on the interior as opposed to the edge. Even if they do seek out an edge rusher, their overall modus operandi suggests they would rather find another heavy-hitter in the NFL draft, potentially as early as No. 23 overall.
Nevertheless, Sweat does have appeal if the Packers want to sign a proven veteran.
Which Other Free-Agent DEs Could Packers Pursue?
Sweat is widely considered the top pass rusher on the market heading into the start of the 2025 league year at 4 p.m. ET on March 12, but he isn’t the only one who might draw some interest from the Packers if they want to sign an impactful veteran.
Three other players in their primes — Malcolm Koonce, Dayo Odeyingbo and Chase Young — are also coming available and could provide additional building blocks for the Packers’ defensive line, potentially on more affordable price tags than Sweat.
If the Packers would prefer a more experienced veteran, they could also weigh making a shorter-term investment in a 30-year-old, such as Khalil Mack or DeMarcus Lawrence.
According to Over the Cap, the Packers have about $46 million in available cap space for the 2025 season, so they will have a variety of options for how they want to attack.
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