Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker requested a trade this offseason, seeking an opportunity to be moved to a Super Bowl contender that will make him one of the highest-paid players in football. As NFL trade rumors swirl, there is already a significant amount of interest in the All-Pro safety.
Baker, age 27, was the 36th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Selected out of Washington, the 5-foot-10 defensive back earned his first Pro Bowl selection as a rookie. He’s proven to be one of the best safeties in the NFL ever since.
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- Budda Baker stats (career): 34 pass deflections, 32 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 7 INTs
A few years after signing a four-year contract extension, Baker has seen the shifting market for safeties. NFL teams are spending more money on the position, with five of his peers signed to deals with a $16 million average annual value and two (Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick) earning more than $18 million per season.
As the Cardinals seemingly head into a rebuild, Baker wants out. As one of the top NFL reporters explained, there is significant interest in the five-time Pro Bowl selection and many around the NFL are eyeing one specific team.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler explained on SportsCenter why Baker is seeking a trade and noted that many around the league are keeping an eye on the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This is a player, I’m told, who wants to win. He’s in a situation in Arizona where they’re clearly rebuilding and not going to be very good this year. And he’s got two years left at non-guaranteed money on his original contract that he signed with the team about three years ago. So, that has to give and so, this could heat up closer to the draft. This is a premium player that a lot of teams would love to get their hands on. People I’ve talked to around the league are at least looking to Philadelphia because they have a need at safety with C.J. Gardner-Johnson leaving in free agency, but my understanding is they don’t have a lot of money to spend because they signed other players, so it could be tough.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker and his NFL trade market
Baker is under contract for a $13 million base salary this upcoming season and Arizona holds a $14.2 million club option on him in 2024. However, as Fowler noted, a majority of the guaranteed money has already been paid out to the 27-year-old defensive back.
- Budda Baker contract: $16.871 million cap hit (2023), $13.096 million base salary
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The Cardinals signed Baker to a contract extension in 2020, making him one of the highest-paid NFL players at the time. However, the new collective bargaining agreement has led to an explosion in annual revenue which resulted in the NFL salary cap increasing from $198.2 million in 2020 to $224.8 million this upcoming season.
Fowler’s point regarding the financial difficulties of extending Baker is accurate when it comes to the Eagles. While they have a projected $58.7 million in cap space next year, that doesn’t account for the upcoming Jalen Hurts contract extension.
Given the losses the Eagles’ secondary took in NFL free agency, though, there is a strong incentive to upgrade at safety. Whether it’s Baker or Kevin Byard, the Eagles have options and either player would add another All-Pro talent to this defense.
