Players like edge rusher Josh Sweat just don’t hit the open market very much. Super Bowl champion. Pro Bowler. In the prime of his career at 27 years old.
For some reason, the Philadelphia Eagles decided Sweat’s juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and essentially gift-wrapped him in free agency to the Arizona Cardinals, who made him their headliner in the 2025 cycle with a 4-year, $76.4 million contract on March 10.
It’s a move the Eagles could come to regret and one that is hard to make sense of in retrospect. It’s also the rare slip-up for a franchise that seems to make almost all the right decisions when it comes to personnel driven by general manager Howie Roseman, head coach Nick Sirianni and owner Jeffrey Lurie.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport listed the Cardinals signing Sweat as one of the smartest offseason decisions in 2025.
“I want to be seen as the guy who can make a difference,” Sweat told NFL.com’s Nick Shook. “I really haven’t had, I won’t say the opportunity, but we’ve been very talented over (in Philly). Here I can definitely show, with an ascending team, how I’m helping. I’m excited, dog.”
Eagles Picked $51 Million Bust Over Sweat in 2024
The Eagles paid big for a free agent edge rusher in 2024, where they gave Bryce Huff a 3-year, $51.1 million free agent contract after his 10-sack season with the New York Jets in 2023 — essentially picking him over Sweat, who ended up with a 1-year, $10 million contract.
While Huff was a complete bust, Sweat had the best all-around season of his NFL career on the NFL’s No. 1 defense with 41 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 9 TFL and 15 QB hits. Sweat capped the season by playing arguably the best game of his career in a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX with 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 TFL and 3 QB hits.
From Next Gen Stats: “Josh Sweat generated a team-high six pressures on 34 pass rushes in Super Bowl LIX, including a career-high 2.5 sacks. Sweat registered four of his six pressures on early downs including every one of his sacks.”
Philly’s Plan to Replace Sweat Via Free Agency
The Eagles made the 2 best signings of free agency last year, bringing in running back and 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley on a 3-year, $37.75 million contract and linebacker Zack Baun on a 1-year, $1.6 million contract.
While Barkley was already a star, Baun’s ascension came out of nowhere. In the first 4 seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints, Baun had never been a full time starter. With the Eagles, Baun switched positions from edge rusher to inside linebacker and ended up being an NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowler.
The Eagles are hoping to capture that magic again in 2025 with Sweat’s presumed replacement by signing edge rusher Joshua Uche to a 1-year, $1.92 million free agent contract on March 13.
By any metric, Uche is a considerable downgrade from Sweat. Over the last 5 seasons, Sweat has 39.0 sacks and 47 TFL compared to 20.5 sacks and 19 TFL for Uche in that same stretch — which includes a career high 11.5 sacks for Uche in 2022.
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