Having already secured his Super Bowl ring, one veteran defender is now securing his bag.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Monday that Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat is leaving the team in free agency. He has reached a deal with the Arizona Cardinals for four years and $76.4 million (including $41 million guaranteed).
Sweat, 27, was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft (No. 130 overall) and had been with them for his entire NFL career up to this point. A Pro Bowl selection in the 2021 season, Sweat followed that up by becoming a Super Bowl hero for Philadelphia last month with his tremendous performance in The Big Game.
Josh Sweat in his Eagles uniform
October 4, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat (94) during halftime against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
With 2.5 of the Eagles’ 6.0 sacks on Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX and an additional six QB pressures, Sweat was arguably the single most impactful defender for Philadelphia during the contest. He even received a handful of votes for Super Bowl MVP.
On the Cardinals, Sweat now reunites with Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was previously his defensive coordinator on the Eagles from 2021-22. Sweat is far from a one-game wonder too, logging 33.5 total sacks over his last four NFL seasons combined.
After Philadelphia’s Super Bowl victory, Sweat was vocal about how he felt that he deserved Super Bowl MVP over Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Now Sweat is set to carve out his own path away from Hurts and the Eagles (who also lost another big-name defender in free agency earlier in the day Monday).