TEMPE, Ariz. — After losing out on former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams earlier Monday, the Arizona Cardinals made their first splash of free agency by agreeing to a four-year contract with another former Eagle, pass rusher Josh Sweat, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal with Arizona is worth $76.4 million including $41 million guaranteed.
Sweat reunites with Jonathan Gannon, now the Cardinals head coach who was his defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, when Sweat turned in the best two-year stretch of his career with 18.5 sacks over those two seasons.
Sweat gives the Cardinals a prominent presence off the edge, which they’ve been lacking since Chandler Jones left Arizona in free agency in 2022.
Sweat, 27, is coming off one of his best NFL seasons, posting eight sacks, 15 quarterback hits and nine tackles for loss for the Eagles’ top-ranked defense.
He saved his best game for the biggest stage, as he racked up 2.5 sacks and three QB hits on Patrick Mahomes in Philadelphia’s dominant 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
A fourth-round pick by the Eagles in the 2018 draft, Sweat has started 64 games over seven seasons, compiling 43 sacks, 97 QB hits and 54 tackles for loss over that stretch.
Sweat was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021. His best statistical season came in 2022 when he had 11 sacks, 23 QB hits and an interception.
ESPN’s Tim McManus contributed to this report.
