When Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker had his usual get-together with the media last Thursday, he was asked about defensive coordinator Nick Rallis honoring linebacker Kyzir White by naming his new son Domanick Kyzir.
“To have Kyzir as his middle name, that’s definitely something special for Kyzir,” Baker said.
But then Baker was asked a crucial question: Would Budda have been a better middle name than Kyzir?
To that Baker replied, “I think Kyzir’s a good middle name. I like Kyzir, so I’ll say Kyzir.”
He then added, “But maybe in a few more years, I’ll try to get him to name his third kid Budda. No. 3. (laughs).”
Of course, to even entertain that possibility, Baker will have to be with the team “in a few more years,” and with his contract scheduled to expire after this season, there’s no guarantee he’ll even be a Cardinal next year.
It’s time now, right now, for the Cardinals to stop the chatter and speculation and figure out a way to get his signature on a new deal.
What better time is there than the present with the team on its bye, leading the NFC West with a 6-4 record and heading to Baker’s Seattle hometown after the off week for a game against the division-rival Seahawks?
It would also be a good idea to also re-up running back James Conner and make a commitment to the defensive and offensive leaders that are the heartbeat and soul of this team.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon talks consistently about the leaders on this roster that echo his blueprint for success by communicating to one of the youngest rosters in the NFL while repeating his mantra of keeping the main thing the main thing and that tomorrow is the most important day of the week.
Contract extensions would send the entire team a resounding message by showing everyone that while building a team through the draft is important, it’s truly purposeful to keep your veteran leaders around and do it now heading toward the final seven games of the regular season.
On Friday, when Gannon was asked what Baker does on the field that isn’t on the stat sheet and that puts him a step above everybody else, Gannon simply gushed about him (which he also often does about Conner).
“The first thing that comes to my mind is his brain,” Gannon said. “The amount of communication that’s needed from him and the safeties and everybody really, but he really starts that communication on the back end. Obviously, we use his skillset a lot of different ways because he can impact the game a lot of different ways, so that’s cool. But that puts on some mental stress to him and he picks it up with ease.”
Gannon then talked about what Baker does off the field, saying, “Another thing is the amount of time that Nick and P.T. (defensive backs coach Patrick Toney) and those two even more than myself, but myself too, ask him throughout the week, early in the week, different things. What he sees because he’s smart, he understands the game, he understands what our structures and what our defense is trying to get done and he also understands offensive football too so it’s cool to have a back and forth with him. ‘Hey, this is how I see it. I don’t see it like that, J.G. Why? OK, yeah, you’re right, I never thought about it from that perspective.’
“So, I’ve always said if you want to learn football, ask the players. That’s a guy that we lean on to help us to develop how to defend, so his value is; you can’t put a price tag on it.”
Well, there’s going to be a “price tag on it” and the Cardinals must realize that and do something about it.
Prior to Sunday’s win over the Jets, quarterback Aaron Rodgers talked about Baker during his weekly appearance on Pat McAfee’s show.
Rodgers said, “Watching Budda Baker on film, that’s impressive. He shows up all over the place. He lines up in different spots, He runs all over the place. He’s a phenomenal tackler and throws his body around. He reminds me of (former Colts safety) Bob Sanders. Bob was such a wild man out there. He was not the biggest dude, but he threw himself around and was always around the pile. Big hits, great tackler.
“But Baker, he’s a special player. He’s fun to watch on film and he’s definitely a guy you’ve got to be aware of.”
Noting the “ton of respect” he has for Baker, Rodgers concluded, “The tape doesn’t lie, they always say, and his tape looks pretty damn good.”
All Baker did against the Jets was reach 100 tackles exactly for the season with nine (six solo), including three for loss, while adding a sack, quarterback hit and pass defensed.
That prompted Gannon to say afterward, “He’s one of our elite players, man. I know everyone sees what he does on Sundays. I see what the guy does on Monday through Saturdays and like I’ve said, you can’t put a price tag on it. He is just a complete captain. He’s a warrior; all the things that means. I’m so glad we have him.”
Now it’s up to general manager Monti Ossenfort to make sure we will all still have him. And there’s no better week than this one to seal the deal.
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