Every year, the NFL asks its players to vote on the top 100 players in the league. Washington Huskies alumnus and Arizona Cardinals star Budda Baker has become a regular on it and in 2024, he came in as the No. 89 player in the league according to his peers.
Baker has been ranked as high as No. 19, which came in 2021, and moved down 16 spots from his 2023 ranking after battling a hamstring injury last season that limited him to just 12 games. However, Baker was still named to his fifth-consecutive Pro Bowl and sixth in his seven-year career.
Coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense struggled without him, allowing the most rushing yards in the NFL. The two-time All-Pro has thrived in run support since his days on Montlake and over his career, he’s accrued 737 tackles, 37 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 7 interceptions, and 6 forced fumbles.
As Baker enters the final year of a four-year, $59 million extension that made him the highest-paid safety in the league at the time that he signed, it’s more important than ever for the 28-year-old to turn in another strong campaign on what could be an upstart and exciting Cardinals team.
And early on in training camp, he’s set the tone after acting as one of the team’s captains for the last few seasons.
“He got up and talked last night off the cuff. He’s everything we’re about,” Gannon told members of the media on Wednesday. “He practices the right way, he prepares the right way. You should hear him in meetings. He’s a phenomenal person and he’s a phenomenal player. I’m glad No. 3’s with us and he’s going to play a big part this year.”
“Budda’s been a captain, was a captain last year. We won’t announce captains until we get to Week 1, but it’s a part of when I ask if players want to be captains, there’s a responsibility that comes with that. Some guys don’t want that and that’s fine. But one of the responsibilities is to lead vocally at times. He has a unique gift to do that.”