Josh Sweat

Vikings Targeting DL, CB This Summer

In a recent mailbag Q&A, Alec Lewis of The Athletic noted two positions that are likely to be subject to additions this summer and in free agency next year for the Vikings: defensive tackle and cornerback. While there were some attempts to address each position already this offseason, there is likely much more work to be done in Minnesota.

On the defensive line, Minnesota is running it back with Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard as two of their starters in a three-man front. Unfortunately, neither really stood out as strong players at their position with Lewis noting specifically that Phillips and Bullard ranked as two of the worst interior pass rushers in the NFL last year. Last year’s fifth-round rookie Jaquelin Roy could potentially take the next step after playing in an extremely minor role last season.

The team did make two free agent additions, signing Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams back in March. Tillery had a bit of a resurgent season last year in Las Vegas after falling out of favor with the Chargers. Williams saw his first full-time starting role for the Rams last year, starting all but one game in 2023. This provides a bevy of options as the Vikings plan their rotation on the defensive line. It’s hard to say just how much of an improvement this will be; it will really depend on who steps up this summer to grab starting positions.

That being said, all four of Phillips, Bullard, Tillery, and Williams have expiring contracts after this season. Lewis notes that this will make the position just as much of a position-of-focus next year in free agency, as well. While one or a few of the above names may prove to be worth re-signing, Lewis already pegs veteran division-rival Kenny Clark as a target free agent next spring. He tabs Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat as potential targets, as well.

At cornerback, Byron Murphy and Akayleb Evans return as two starters while veteran Shaquill Griffin comes in as a new starter on the outside, allowing Murphy to play a bit more in the slot, if necessary. Evans has overperformed as a recent fourth-round pick, while his draft classmate Andrew Booth, a former second-rounder, has failed to establish himself in the rotation. There are no real stars in this position group, though Griffin has displayed the ability to be one of the better players at the position in past years.

Like on the defensive line, though, Murphy and Griffin will both be free agents next year, making cornerback a position of focus in 2025, as well. As for future targets at cornerback, Lewis likes Jets corner D.J. Reed and San Francisco’s Charvarius Ward.

None of the free agents Lewis suggests are necessarily stars at their position, and most are in their older years, but all would provide an improvement to what the Vikings currently have on the roster. There are still several months for Minnesota to continue addressing those positions, and there’s still every possibility that the current Vikings will step up and prove that they belong and are good enough to keep around beyond this year.

NFC Contract Details: Bucs, Mayfield, Eagles, Sweat, Parker, Rams, Garoppolo, Saints

Here are the details from some of the recently agreed-upon contracts around the NFC:

  • Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers). Three years, $100MM. Of the $50MM in Mayfield guarantees, $40MM is fully guaranteed. The other $10MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. Mayfield can also earn $5MM per year via incentives, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman notes. Half of those are stat-based incentives. If Mayfield finishes in the top 10 in the NFL (or top five in the NFC) in passer rating, TD passes, yards, yards per attempt or completion percentage in any of the three years, he would earn $500K per category, Auman adds. The other $2.5MM per year comes through playoff incentives. Mayfield would earn $500K for a Bucs wild-card win, $750K for a divisional-round conquest and $500K for an NFC championship game win. If the Bucs are to win a Super Bowl with Mayfield at the helm, he would collect another $750K.
  • Darious Williams, CB (Rams). Three years, $22.5MM. Only $7MM of Williams’ $15MM guarantee is locked in at signing, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This contract’s key date will come on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, when the remaining $8MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee. Barring injury, this effectively makes 2024 a “prove it” year for the now-two-time Rams CB.
  • Josh Sweat, DE (Eagles). One year, $10MM. The Eagles’ Sweat rework will bring $9.5MM guaranteed for the veteran defensive end, per OverTheCap. Philly used four void years to spread out the cap hit, which sits at $8.1MM for 2024. If Sweat signs elsewhere before this contract’s March 2025 expiration, the Eagles will be tagged with $16.4MM in dead money.
  • Cedrick Wilson, WR (Saints). Two years, $5.75MM. The Saints are guaranteeing Wilson $2.85MM, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes. The second-generation NFL wideout will be due a $200K roster bonus in 2025; none of Wilson’s ’25 salary ($2.7MM) is guaranteed.
  • Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (Rams). One year, $3.18MM. Previously reported as including $4.5MM in base value, the Rams’ Garoppolo contract (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe) contains $3.18MM in base pay.
  • Ben Bredeson, G (Buccaneers). One year, $3MM. Bredeson’s Bucs pact includes $1.75MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.
  • DeVante Parker, WR (Eagles). One year, $1.21MM. The Patriots are paying most of Parker’s deal, with $3.19MM guaranteed remaining on his 2023 extension. The Eagles are not guaranteeing the former first-rounder anything, Volin tweets. The Pats will receive a $1.98MM cap credit if Parker plays the whole 2024 season.

Eagles To Retain DE Josh Sweat Via Restructured Deal

Both the Eagles’ top incumbent edge rushers landed on the trade block as of late. While Haason Reddick‘s status remains uncertain, Josh Sweat is staying in Philadelphia.

The Eagles and Sweat reached a restructured contract that will keep the young pass rusher in town, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. Sweat will receive $10MM guaranteed in 2024, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds he can collect up to $13MM via incentives.

[RELATED: Teams Inquiring On Haason Reddick]

Bryce Huff is coming to Philly on a three-year, $51.1MM deal. The Eagles currently have three edge contracts in the same range on their books presently, though Reddick’s status will now need to be monitored. With Huff in place and Sweat agreeing to stay — after coming up in trade talks — Reddick could be on his way out. The Pro Bowler has outplayed the three-year, $45MM deal he signed with the Eagles in 2022. While Reddick has said he wants to stay with his hometown team, his status is up in the air.

No guaranteed money remained on Sweat’s three-year, $40MM extension, which he agreed to in 2021. The Eagles allowed both Reddick and Sweat to seek a trade and gauge their value. It is a bit surprising Sweat would come back at this rate, given where the cap went this month, but the Eagles would have also needed to view a trade as fair value. The team has determined Sweat will remain an asset this year, his age-27 season.

Sweat and Reddick went cold down the stretch, which became a sore spot for the team as its defense cratered. Vic Fangio is now running Philly’s defense, after serving as a consultant with the team in 2022, and he presumably wanted Huff as one of his starters. With Fangio in a minor role in 2022, Sweat put together his best season — an 11-sack slate — as the Eagles made a run at the 1984 Bears’ single-season sack record. Sweat has not totaled more than eight sacks in a season in any other year, and after a hot 2023 start, the former fourth-round pick went sackless over the season’s final two months. He did drop Baker Mayfield once in the Eagles’ wild-card loss, however.

With Nolan Smith likely set for more playing time, signs would seem to point to a Reddick exit. No known trade offers have emerged, but Huff, Sweat and Smith are now locked in — along with the recently re-signed Brandon Graham — for 2024. Huff can certainly use this season as a platform for a big-ticket free agency deal next year, with the cap rising at rates not seen during the previous CBA.

Eagles Taking Trade Calls On Josh Sweat

We heard last month that the Eagles were allowing Haason Reddick to seek a trade, and the team is reportedly taking calls on another top pass rusher. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Eagles are “having trade calls on” defensive end Josh Sweat. Dianna Russini of The Athletic adds that the Eagles have been shopping both Sweat and Reddick for “the last few weeks.”

[RELATED: Teams Inquiring On Eagles’ Haason Reddick]

A former fourth-round pick, Sweat has emerged into one of the Eagles’ top edge rushers, compiling 31 sacks over the past four seasons. Following an 11-sack campaign in 2022, Sweat’s numbers took a bit of a step back in 2023, as the 26-year-old finished with 6.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus also seemed to recognize the drop in production; after ranking Sweat ninth among edge rushers in 2022, the site listed him 33rd for his 2023 performance.

Sweat is heading into the final season of a three-year, $40MM extension he signed with the Eagles back in 2021. While his $9MM cap number won’t break the bank in 2024, the team may be looking to prepare for his exit now. As Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out, it’s not an “either/or” when it comes to moving on from Sweat and Reddick, as the team would consider dealing both players in the right moves. Further, McLane notes that the organization hasn’t been happy with the duo’s recent production, especially in the second half of last season.

As NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah points out, moving on from Sweat (and, potentially, Reddick) would surely put the Eagles in the market for a pass rusher. Russini points to one potential free agent target: Bryce Huff. The former UDFA had a breakout season for the Jets in 2023, finishing with 10 sacks despite appearing in fewer than 50 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. Thanks to that performance, Pro Football Focus gave Huff a top-10 grade for his pass-rushing ability.

Clearing up the depth chart would also open a spot for Nolan Smith, the team’s first-round pick in 2023. Smith struggled to carve out a role as a rookie. While he got into all 17 games, he was limited to 18 tackles and one sack while playing the majority of his snaps on special teams. As James Palmer of NFL Network points out, Smith underwent “a maintenance procedure on his shoulder” this offseason that should prepare him for a larger workload in 2024. Further, Palmer notes that the Eagles “feel good about the trajectory” of the first-round pick’s development, an indication that Smith could be eyeing more responsibility in his sophomore season.

Latest On Eagles DE Josh Sweat

Despite a scary incident last weekend that saw Josh Sweat transported to the hospital with a neck injury, the Eagles defensive end may not miss much time. During the “Inside The Birds” podcast, Adam Caplan said the defensive end could be back for Philly’s first playoff game.

“What we have heard is that the first playoff game is absolutely in play as of now,” Caplan said (via InsideTheBirds.com). “He’s just super sore. They’ll know in a series of days how he really feels. Everything checked out well.”

Naturally, coach Nick Sirianni was quick to note that the Eagles will operate with caution when it comes to Sweat’s return to the field. However, Sweat himself already added some optimism regarding his return when he tweeted that he’ll “be back this season.”

“We’ll take Josh one day at a time,” Sirianni said (via the team’s website). “I’m just really thankful that it wasn’t more serious there and I know everybody in that stadium was holding their breath because anytime that stretcher comes out, that’s tough to deal with. Josh was saying, ‘Hey, let me get up. I can get up.’ The doctors in that scenario have to make sure they go through all the right scenarios. I felt a little more at ease because of what Josh was saying out there.”

Sweat was carted off the field during the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to New Orleans following a headfirst collision into Saints fullback Adam Prentice. Sweat was on the ground for several minutes before being positioned onto a stretcher and carted off the field. He was later transported to the hospital before being released on Sunday, with the team reporting that Sweat had movement in all of his extremities.

The 25-year-old is less than one calendar year removed from a life-threatening medical condition which emerged during the postseason and forced him to miss Philadelphia’s first-round matchup with Tampa Bay. He’s returned to have a career year for the Eagles, collecting career-highs in sacks (11), QB hits (23), and TFLs (15).

Eagles DE Josh Sweat Suffers Neck Injury

The Eagles once again failed to lock up the top spot in the NFC today, and they are facing injury questions with another key player. Defensive end Josh Sweat was unavailable for much of the contest against the Saints due to a neck injury which required him to be taken to hospital.

Sweat suffered the injury while making a tackle on New Orleans fullback Adam Prentice, but was motionless on the field immediately after the play and for several minutes afterward. ESPN’s Tim McManus notes that Sweat was carted off the field and taken to hospital as a result of the injury. Not long after he arrived, a team announcement indicated that he had movement in all of his extremities.

The hospital evaluation was deemed precautionary, the Eagles also stated. Per the latest update, he will be released later tonight, an encouraging sign for Sweat. The 25-year-old is less than one calendar year removed from a life-threatening medical condition which emerged during the postseason and forced him to miss Philadelphia’s first-round matchup with Tampa Bay.

Sweat managed one sack before having to exit the loss to the Saints, and the Eagles totaled seven on the day. Philadelphia led the league in that department entering Week 17, in no small part due to the former fourth-rounder’s contributions. He had posted a career-high 11 sacks before today, which saw him record at least one for the sixth consecutive game. Sweat has also set new personal marks in tackles for loss (15) and quarterback hits (23).

That continues to represent a sold return on investment for the Eagles, given the three-year extension they signed him to last fall. The Florida State alum was named a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2021, and has once again been a full-time starter on the edge after operating in a rotational role for his first three seasons in the league. Philadelphia would sorely miss his production if he were to miss next week’s regular season finale (a game which, given this afternoon’s events, still has meaning for the NFC leaders) or any playoff action. Further updates will be worth watching for given his importance to the Eagles as they prepare for a potential Super Bowl run.

Eagles DE Josh Sweat Had Life-Threatening Medical Situation

Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat will miss the club’s wildcard game against the Bucs this afternoon. Per a team statement, Sweat was dealing with a life-threatening medical situation earlier this week, and while he is on the mend and was hoping to play, he has not yet recovered quite enough to return to game action.

The statement reads as follows:

“On Tuesday night, Josh Sweat was admitted to the hospital. He underwent an emergency procedure due to the severity. The doctors addressed a life-threatening situation. In the following days, Josh and our medical team did everything possible to help him return. He improved every day but it was determined by the doctors today that he was not quite ready. The fact that Josh came so close to playing is a credit to his toughness and our medical staff.”

It’s unclear exactly what the emergency was, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes that head coach Nick Sirianni said during the week that Sweat was dealing with an abdominal issue (Twitter link). Obviously, Sweat’s health is the most important thing here, but his presence will be sorely missed against Tampa Bay’s stout offensive front, and it will make it even more difficult for the underdog Eagles to pull off the upset.

Philadelphia handed Sweat a lucrative extension back in September, and he rewarded the club with a season that saw him post career-highs in starts (13), tackles (45), and sacks (7.5). He finished as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-best edge defender out of 113 qualifiers.

If the Eagles are able to advance to the divisional round, it sounds like Sweat would have a good chance of suiting up.

Eagles DE Josh Sweat Signs Three-Year Extension

For the second-straight week, the Eagles have extended a member of their 2018 draft class. The team announced this morning (via Twitter) that they’ve agreed to a three-year extension with defensive end Josh Sweat.

[RELATED: Eagles Sign LT Jordan Mailata To Four-Year Extension]

The three-year deal is worth $40MM and includes $26.9MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Sweat received a $10MM signing bonus as part of the deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The deal contains $2MM in incentives “based on consecutive years of 7 sacks,” boosting the maximum value to $42MM (per Rapoport). The extension will keep the 24-year-old in Philly through at least the 2024 season.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds some additional details, reporting that Sweat will earn base salaries of $920K, $1.035MM, $12MM, and $13.75MM over the life of the deal from 2021-24. In addition to the $10MM signing bonus, the first two years of salary are fully guaranteed at signing, as is a $2.965MM option bonus for 2022. $9MM of Sweat’s $12MM salary for 2023 becomes fully guaranteed in March 2022, and the remaining $3MM becomes fully guaranteed in early 2023.

With respect to the sack escalator that Rapoport referenced, Florio says that Sweat can earn an extra $2MM in 2024 by posting at least seven sacks in each of the next three years, nine sacks in two of the next three years, or 11 sacks in any individual year.

Sweat was a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 2018, and after barely playing during his rookie season, he found a role in Philly over the past two seasons. Sweat appeared in 30 games (three starts) for the Eagles over the past two years, collecting 59 tackles, 10 sacks, 22 QB hits, 16 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. Those numbers were collected despite the fact that Sweat only played on 35 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in 2019 and 38 percent of the defensive snaps in 2020.

The pass rusher appeared in more than 50 percent of his team’s defensive snaps during their Week 1 win over the Falcons, collecting six total tackles.

Last Saturday, the Eagles agreed to a four-year, $64MM extension with offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, a 2018 seventh-round pick.

Jets Exploring Trade For Pass Rush Help

In the wake of Carl Lawson‘s season-ending Achilles tear, the Jets are on the lookout for pass rushing help, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The club will surely scour the free agent market, which will continue to grow as cuts are made throughout the league, and New York is also exploring trade possibilities.

The loss of Lawson is a significant one for the Jets. The former Bengal inked a three-year, $45MM deal ($30MM guaranteed) in March, and he had performed well in training camp. He notched a modest 5.5 sacks in 2020, but his 32 QB hits were bested only by T.J. Watt, and he appeared primed for a big season in head coach Robert Saleh‘s 4-3 scheme.

Veterans Vinny Curry and Ronald Blair could help fill the void, but Blair has not played since Week 9 of the 2019 season due to an ACL tear and subsequent complications. He is now dealing with a hamstring ailment, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets, while Curry is entering his age-33 season and has been primarily utilized as a rotational piece throughout his career.

Behind Curry and Blair, there is very little by way of proven edge talent, and the Jets failed to generate much pass rush against the Packers’ backup O-line in last night’s preseason victory. So it’s little wonder that the team is taking a look at outside options.

In terms of free agents, players like Everson Griffen and Olivier Vernon are still available, though Vernon’s own health is very much up in the air. The Jets and Eagles will hold joint practices this week, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com suggests that two Philadelphia edge defenders, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat — both of whom are entering their walk years — could be targets for Jets GM and former Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/20

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Promoted: C Javon Patterson

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team