The Philadelphia Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in 3 seasons and they got there in large part thanks to a take-no-prisoners defense that was the best in the NFL this season — an electric mix of young players and veterans with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio pulling the strings.
At the heart of that defense is edge rusher Josh Sweat, who could very well be playing his final game in an Eagles uniform against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans.
That the Eagles might lose Sweat in his prime — he’s just 27 years old — and after one of the best seasons of his career might be more of a financial reality than anything else.
Pro Football Network currently has Sweat listed as the No. 3 overall NFL free agent available in 2025 and with the Eagles staring down just $18.9 million in projected salary cap space next season … something’s gotta give.
From PFN: “The lack of elite pass-rushers in this class boosts Sweat’s overall value in free agency, given the impact the pass rush can have on a game. Also playing into Sweat’s hands is an impressive 16.8% tackle rate, which makes him the most all-around pass-rush weapon in free agency this year. While he is not in the class of T.J. Watt or Micah Parsons, Sweat is a solid option for any team looking to add a weapon to their defense … ”
It’s hard to see the Eagles making the financial moves to keep Sweat on the roster after he played 2024 on a 1-year, $10 million contract and NFL All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun also about to enter free agency. Spotrac has Sweat’s market value set at an approximately 3-year, $45 million contract that would pay him $15 million annually.
Eagles Paid Big Money for Edge Rusher in Offseason
The worst part about Sweat leaving will be that the Eagles paid big money for an edge rusher before the 2024 season that turned out to be a massive bust, giving Bryce Huff a 3-year, $51 million contract to leave the New York Jets after one good season in which he had 10.0 sacks on a mediocre team.
Sweat, meanwhile, responded with one of the best years of his career in 2024 with 41 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 9 TFL and 15 QB hits as the Eagles went 14-3 in the regular season and rolled through the NFC playoffs to get to the Super Bowl.
Sweat Kept Edge Rushers Afloat After Injuries
There was added value to having Sweat on the field after fellow edge rusher Brandon Graham went out with a season-ending injury in Week 12. Huff missed 5 games due to a torn ligament in his wrist but still only finished with 2.5 sacks in 12 games.
ESPN’s Ben Solak thinks the Arizona Cardinals could be a destination for Sweat in 2025, where he would be reunited with Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022.
“In the third year of the Jonathan Gannon-Monti Ossenfort era, a playoff berth is desperately needed, so the Cardinals will start getting aggressive with their cap space,” Solak wrote on January 6. “They will add both Josh Sweat, an old friend of Gannon’s from his Eagles days, and Osa Odighizuwa to a defensive line sorely in need of immediate contributors.”
