Proposed Bears Trade Package for Pro Bowl Edge Rusher Would Be No-Brainer for Ryan Poles

If the Bears could acquire the Pro Bowl edge rusher with this trade package, general manager Ryan Poles shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Chicago Bears fans would love to see the team pull off a trade for Arizona Cardinals veteran edge rusher Josh Sweat. But what exactly would it take to land him?

FanSided's Austen Bundy recently put together a bunch of Sweat trade packages for different teams, including the Bears.

Here's what Bundy projects for Chicago.

• Bears receive: Josh Sweat, 2028 sixth-round pick

• Cardinals receive: 2027 third-round pick

Yes, please.

This would be a no-brainer for general manager Ryan Poles.

Sure, 2027 picks are like gold right now because of the projected strength of the upcoming draft class, but the Bears are also a win-now team and Sweat would increase Chicago's chances of winning a Super Bowl with his pass-rush prowess.

Chicago needs to be worrying about 2026, not 2027, and this kind of trade would show that's exactly where their concern lies.

How Josh Sweat trade buzz started

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sweat is reportedly unhappy with the Cardinals, according to insider Kyle Odegard, although it isn't clear exactly what he's unhappy about.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has reported that, despite the rumors surrounding him, the Cardinals have no intention of trading Sweat. However, we know better than to take a report like that as gospel because we've been fooled before.

When it comes to the NFL, where there's smoke, there's fire, and there has been a good amount of smoke around Sweat.

Trading him is also the logical move for Arizona. There is no sense in holding on to a 29-year-old Pro Bowl edge rusher who could be on the decline by the time the Cardinals, who are in a rebuild, are actually good. Arizona should strike while the iron is hot and unload Sweat to the highest bidder.

The Bears need Josh Sweat

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago was widely viewed as a candidate to add an edge rusher this offseason because of the uncertainty at the second starting EDGE spot across from Montez Sweat.

However, the Bears, who finished with the second-worst pass-rush win rate and tied for the seventh-fewest sacks, still don't have anything resembling a sure thing to complement Sweat as training camp approaches.

Maybe Austin Booker ends up being that guy after a 4.5-sack showing in 10 games last season, but we can't know for sure because of his fairly limited sample size over two seasons.

The other two hopefuls, Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner, are, at the very least, just as big of question marks as Booker with the pair coming off serious injuries and having only posted one sack between them in 2025.

Sweat is the exact opposite of all three.

He's a proven producer with eight or more sacks in three of the last four years, and Sweat is coming off a campaign in which he posted a career-high 12 sacks, which would have led the Bears last season.

Sweat's playoff and Super Bowl experience is also a huge plus for a Bears team that has aspirations to reach the latter in 2026. The former Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher not only won the Big Game in 2024, he notched 2.5 sacks in the contest.

Everything Sweat brings to the table and a sixth-round pick in exchange for a third-rounder? Sign us up.