Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Josh Sweat’s full contract details were revealed on Wednesday, according to a post from Spotrac on X/Twitter.
Sweat signed the largest free agent deal handed out so far by Monti Ossenfort in his time as the Cardinals’ GM at the beginning of 2025’s free agency period.
At the time, it was reported to be a four-year, $76.4 million deal.
Now, further details and a full breakdown of the massive deal have been revealed. The contract averages out to approximately $19.1 million per season, but is layered out each year in creative fashion.
There are plenty of incentives present, and Sweat’s base salary for the first two seasons will add up to just under $13 million.
According to the post, only $38 million of the deal is fully guaranteed. In 2025, Sweat will count just $7.24 million against the cap, with a mere $2.5 million in base salary. The cap hit will escalate to $16.3 million in 2026, and $23.6 million in 2027 and 2028, with 2029 listed as a void year counting $5.5 million agaisnt the cap.
Sweat will also have a potential out after the first two seasons.
The stud pass rusher will bring a huge boost to a weak Cardinals’ defensive front. While this contract might look like a large dollar amount, it won’t severely hinder Arizona’s ability to pay other players, as the team entered free agency with the fifth-most available cap space to use.
The Cardinals have spent a relatively high amount this offseason, dropping the potential $76.4 million deal on Sweat, while also signing DT Dalvin Tomlinson to a two-year deal worth up to $29 million.
Sweat will rejoin his former defensive coordinator in head coach Jonathan Gannon to add some desperately-needed juice to the desert. He led the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in sacks with eight in 2024, and had an argument to be named Super Bowl MVP, with 2.5 sacks of Patrick Mahomes as the Eagles took down the Chiefs.
