NEW ORLEANS — Josh Sweat is one of the longest-tenured Eagles players and he would not still be on the scene had he not taken a pay adjustment to remain with the team that made him a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Sweat, a 27-year old edge rusher, is here at the site of Super Bowl 2025. Where he plays next season is unknown, and it certainly is a possibility this is his final game for the Eagles.
“I did what I did so I could be here, you know what I’m saying?’’ Sweat said Monday night at the Super Bowl Opening Night event at the Superdome. “I knew the team we had and we could possibly be here, that’s why I did what I did. That other stuff, it’s coming real soon.”
That other stuff is impending free agency.
Sweat last March would not have remained on the Eagles roster had he not agreed to restructure his contract, guaranteeing him $10 million. There were reports that the Eagles were shopping Sweat but found no trader partner.
Why such treatment?
Sweat had a career-high 11 sacks in 2022, helping the Birds make it all the way to the Super Bowl, which they lost 38-35 to the Chiefs in Glendale, Ariz. Sweat in 2023 had 6.5 sacks in his first nine games and none in the final eight games.
On Monday, word came down that Sweat changed agents. He is now represented by Drew Rosenhaus, likely a move designed to aid him in free agency.
He led the Eagles this past season with eight sacks and added six quarterback hits, 16 pressures and 41 tackles. He is young enough and productive enough to command a solid contract, although edge rushers Haason Reddick (Sweat’s former teammate in Philadelphia), Matt Judon and Chase Young will also be on the market.
Reddick had 16 sacks for the Eagles in 2022, as he and Sweat were part of a fearsome defensive front that amᴀssed 70 sacks.
“Man, the defense we had that year was ridiculous,’’ Sweat said. “We set so many records and stuff like that and he was a big part of it.’’
Sweat said he “had a good year’’ in 2024 and believes he is underrated.
“Yeah,’’ he said, “but not for long.”
