Ranking Top 3 Realistic Cardinals Summer Trade Candidates

It's that time of year.

We're far removed from the excitement of the draft while also being out of reach from training camp beginning in July, thus putting football fans in the twilight zone of news and content consumption.

Still, OTAs are currently being held across the league — and the Arizona Cardinals appear to be at the forefront of headlines for one reason or another.

Trade rumors and chatter follow every team across the league, though there's a handful of players currently being mentioned as possible trade candidates.

Three players who, at this point in time, actually could be traded by the Cardinals:

Jacoby Brissett

Brissett, as we've previously covered, is playing a dangerous game with the Cardinals at the moment.

Leverage isn't exactly on his side, as the Cardinals drafted third-round pick Carson Beck and also signed former Pro Bowl passer Gardner Minshew in free agency. While Brissett's overall play wasn't bad in 2025, he did go 1-11 as a starter last season and is on the final year of his contract.

Does he deserve a raise? Based off adjusted expectations and numbers, that's fair. But this situation is quickly turning into one where the Cardinals would feel better off moving on from Brissett.

Some previously thought that could be coming later in the regular season, though if things do get ugly enough, the Cardinals may opt to ship him out just to wipe their hands clean — which would give them a better shot at evaluating Beck ahead of a highly anticipated 2027 draft class.

Josh Sweat

Sweat feels like a less likely trade candidate than Brissett, though rumors are swirling in the desert after he wasn't present at offseason team activities. Given previous reports of his displeasure with the Cardinals after firing Jonathan Gannon, trade buzz around Arizona's top pass rusher are prominent again.

Trading Sweat would be a massive mistake for the Cardinals, but when scouring the roster for trade candidates, Sweat unfortunately is somebody that has to be mentioned. It's notable he wasn't at OTAs last offseason, so this could be a nothing burger.

However, we'll have to wait until June 8 — the first day of Cardinals mandatory mini-camp — to see if Sweat truly is upset or if this is all just outside chatter.

Sweat is by far the best pass rusher Arizona has, and the second-best player in terms of production isn't close. However, if Sweat truly is displeased and forces the Cardinals' hand, he's indeed (and unfortunately) a trade candidate in the desert.

Trey Benson

Benson arrived to the Cardinals with hopes of giving the team a boost out of the backfield, emerging as a Day 2 selection that was a home-run hitting running back.

We've only seen flashes in the pan through Benson's two seasons in the desert, and the Cardinals made their feelings very clear on him after drafting Jeremiyah Love, signing Tyler Allgeier and restructuring James Conner.

Benson now finds himself on the verge of being cut, battling with Bam Knight for the fourth spot on their depth chart.

It's clear Benson's future is not in Arizona, which makes him a prime trade candidate for other teams to explore at running back.

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