Conflicting rumors swirling for blockbuster trade to boost Packers defense

With the NFL world already abuzz after the Browns reportedly agreed to send the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, to Los Angeles in exchange Jared Verse and a few Rams draft picks, the Green Bay Packers are reportedly considering a move of their own. Less than 12 months after landing Micah Parsons, the Packers could be looking at bolstering its pass rush once again.

Green Bay's pass rush has been one of the talks of the offseason, with many agreeing that the depth outside of Parsons, who is likely to miss the first part of the season as rehabs his torn ACL, is extremely unproven.

The team already lost Kingsley Enagbare in free agency and made a deal to send Rashan Gary to Dallas for a fifth-round pick. Former first-round selection Lukas Van Ness has shown flashes but has not risen to the expectations of where he was chosen at No. 13 overall.

While that may seem like a knock on Van Ness, he has never had to be that guy either. Since coming to Green Bay, there has been others that have also not measured up. Preston Smith's decline in production, and Rashan Gary struggling after his torn ACL in 2022 took much of the headlines. Not to mention struggles on other parts of the defensive line, like Kenny Clark and the loss of TJ Slaton contributed to the decline.

All of that changed when the Packers traded for Parsons last summer. It allowed Van Ness to move inside and flourish as an athlete, using his combination of speed and strength to overpower offensive lineman. While Gary played well to start the season, he fell off down the stretch, and did not rise back to prominence, becoming disposable.

The Packers did add Dan Dennis-Sutton in the draft, and bolstered the line with the addition of Javon Hargrove. Hargrove had his best season under new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, but if an online report comes to fruition, another reunion may be in the works.

Packers-Cardinals may be engaged in trade talks

Easton Butler of Packer Report, the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals working on a deal that could send EDGE rusher Josh Sweat to Green Bay. If reports are correct, the biggest hold up appears to be how much cap space the Cardinals would swallow, and what draft compensation would go back to Arizona in accordance. The Packers are already without its first round pick for 2026, thanks to the Parsons deal last summer.

Now it should be stated that Butler's track record on insider information, never mind breaking news, is spotty at best. However, he did just have a major win in not only reporting on the Rams' interest in Garrett before the trade went down, but also in stating the Eagles' interest. Doesn't feel entirely like blind luck.

Alrighty then, back to Josh Sweat. He's coming off a career season, where he recorded 12 sacks. This came after being reunited with former Eagles defensive coordinator, then head coach of the Cardinals, Jonathan Gannon. Gannon, of course, is now the Packers defensive coordinator, after being relieved of his head coaching duties with the Cardinals, and the departure of Jeff Hafley.

Sweat joined the Cardinals last year, agreeing to a 4 year, $76.4 million dollar deal. He currently carries a $16.39 million dollar cap hit, that would likely be reworked in some fashion if he is dealt.

As the deal stands currently, Green Bay would owe him just over $10 million in 2026 per Bill Huber, but upwards of $18 million in 2027 and 2028. Huber writes further, that one Packers executive thinks that a fifth-round pick gets the deal done.

Or are they?

While numerous outlets started speculating on what a deal could look like and how doable it would be financially, one Packers insider did cast doubt on the situation. The Athletic's Matt Schneidman reports that Brian Gutekunst hasn't discussed a trade for Josh Sweat.

It remains possible that this could be a smoke screen, and allows the team to have some leverage in trade talks, or it very well could be that the Packers have bigger fish to fry, given the uncertainty now surrounding the running back room.

When it comes to sports and trade talks, often times where there is smoke, there is fire. NFL insider Jordan Schultz did report that the Cardinals are fielding calls on Sweat, and while he didn't report the Packers as a suitor directly, he did go out of his way to cite Sweat's close relationship with Gannon to fuel speculation in that vein.

Whether or not the Packers are indeed on the other end of at least some of those calls remains to be seen. Green Bay may have needed to wait until after the June 1 cap moves took effect on both sides.

So maybe both sides could be correct, where the conversations have happened internally, while the calls may not have been made to the 480 area code.

What could a deal look like?

Is it worth it though? While his tackles decreased in 2026, he hit a career high in sacks with 12.0. Sweat is also entering his age 29 season, but has been in the league since 2018. For what it's worth though, he has remained relatively healthy throughout his NFL career, knock on wood.

Additionally, while the Packers are without a first round pick in 2026, the team is figuring to land additional draft picks in compensation picks after numerous free agents left during this offseason. So there figures to be some potentially expendable capital.

Further, as it stands after the post-June 1st cuts of Brandon McManus and Nate Hobbs, Green Bay has approximately $27.5 million in cap space, per Spotrac. So a move for Sweat could be done, with room to spare. Of course, Arizona swallowing additional money makes this even more doable.

With Parsons currently figured to be on the PUP list and potentially missing the first four games of the season, the Packers could use a proven pass rusher to begin the season. Then, the combination of Sweat and Parsons down the stretch would make Green Bay a force to be reckoned with ahead of the postseason, especially with a developing secondary.

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