Tag: Budda Baker

Albert Breer floats idea of Broncos trading a WR for Budda Baker

Should the Broncos consider trading Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton to the Cardinals for Budda Baker?

Budda Baker is in a standoff with the Arizona Cardinals.

The five-time Pro Bowler wants to be traded, but the Cardinals do not want to part ways with their star safety. While the staredown continues, pundits have been speculating about a potential landing spot for Baker if a trade does happen.

In his Monday Morning Quarterback column this week, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated floated the Broncos as a hypothetical trade partner.

“[I]f I’m, say, the Broncos, with Vance Joseph there, and I have a young receiver to spare for a team that might need one post–DeAndre Hopkins, would I think about it? I sure would,” Breer wrote Monday.

Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton for Budda Baker?

Baker is set to have a salary cap hit north of $16.87 million this season followed by a hit of $17.97 million next year. Granted, some of that would be eaten by Arizona in a trade, but the safety will also want a big contract extension from his next team if he is traded to a new club.

The Broncos have also already said they do not plan to trade a wide receiver. If that’s true, Denver is left with just five draft picks for a hypothetical trade.

Broncos general manager George Paton seems very unlikely to give up draft capital and then commit a large portion of cap space for Baker when the team is already paying Justin Simmons an average of $15.25 million per year.

Swapping a receiver for Baker is an interesting idea from Breer, but it’s probably not practical for Denver.

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NFL exec believes Cardinals can only get Day 2 pick for Budda Baker

Would Baker’s contract give another team less incentive to trade for him?

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker has requested a trade. He wanted a contract extension that the team will not give him yet and he doesn’t want to start over on a rebuilding roster.

While the Cardinals have no intention of trading him and let other players with trade requests play out their contracts, what could they get?

According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, it might not be what fans would hope they could get.

Breer writes that a rival NFL executive believes, if the Cardinals were to trade Baker, they probably only net a second-round pick.

However, that doesn’t really make sense.

Jamal Adams and Minkah Fitzpatrick both netted their previous team with at leats a first-round pick.

Using the contract as a reason doesn’t make sense. Both Adam and Fitzpatrick got traded knowing they would get a new deal from their new teams.

This sounds more like an exec for another team trying to get a lower price.

The Cardinals are not trading him right now.

But if they were, getting a first-round pick or more might not be as sure of a return.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals told Budda Baker they don’t want to trade him

Ian Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee show that the Cardinals don’t want to trade safety Budda Baker and told him as much.

The Arizona Cardinals find themselves in a situation they are familiar with. One of their star players has requested a trade because he isn’t getting a contract extension yet.

Cornerback Patrick Peterson requested one before and so did linebacker Chandler Jones.

This time, with two years remaining on his contract, safety Budda Baker wants to be traded.

Like the aforementioned players before him, the Cardinals do not want to trade him.

NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport gave this insight when appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday.

“I do not believe the Cardinals want to trade him at all, which is what they told him,” Rapoport said. “‘We don’t want to trade you. We plan to keep you.'”

Baker is a team leader. He is the heart and soul of the defense. He is one of the best players on the team and also one of the most popular players on the team.

But it comes to wanting a new deal.

Rapoport learned of the request in the last few days before it was reported Friday evening, “but it has quietly been a reality for Arizona for much longer.”

“I don’t believe they want to trade him at all,” he said.

He also said it isn’t that the Cardinals don’t want to give him a new deal. General manager Monti Ossenfort doesn’t want to set the precedent of giving a star player a new deal with two years left on his contract.

“If he’s giving a star player a new deal with two years left, is every star player going to want a new deal with two years left,” he said. “That is kind of what plays into it.”

If a deal is to be made, it would have to happen by the draft.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Should the Vikings trade for Budda Baker?

The Minnesota Vikings need help in the secondary, but could a trade for safety ease it? @TheKevinFielder looks at a trade for Budda Baker.

It isn’t the NFL off-season unless a top talent requests a trade.

On Friday, Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker requested a trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Baker is the second star from the Cardinals to want a trade this off-season, joining wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Baker has quickly become one of the league’s best safeties since he was a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Baker, who turned 27 in January, has made five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. Baker has seven interceptions and six forced fumbles throughout his career.

So far, few suitors have been announced for Baker. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler announced that the Philadelphia Eagles would be interested, but the buck stops there.

Now, could the Minnesota Vikings be interested? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hasn’t been afraid to get aggressive in making moves, and a trade for Baker could solve many of the Vikings’ problems in the secondary.

Notable safety trades and what teams gave up for them

If we look at the deals for Jamal Adams and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Cardinals should get at least a first-rounder in a Budda Baker trade.

The Arizona Cardinals find themselves in a situation where one of their best and most popular players — safety Budda Baker — has requested a trade.

Baker is still in the prime of his career at 27 years old. He has two years remaining on his contract, although no none of it is guaranteed.

The Cardinals don’t have to trade him, but if they were to do so, what could they get for him?

Let’s look at a few trades for safeties in the past few seasons.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Budda Baker’s trade request comes down to balance of winning, security

Baker wants to win. If he can’t win now, he wants to be paid well with guarantees. The trade request to try and force at least one or the other.

Arizona Cardinals safety, one of the best and most popular players on the team, made waves this past week when multiple outlets reported he has requested to be traded.

What is the reason?

Behind it all is the desire to get a new contract.

He approached the team for an extension with two years remaining on his current contract, seeking to be the highest-paid safety again.

The Cardinals apparently either said no or to wait and he requested to be traded.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. Scores of NFL players have done this.

For Baker, like most NFL players, this is about the balance between two things — winning and security.

Football is a job and players have a finite amount of time to maximize their earnings.

Players are fierce competitors, too, so winning matters.

We know Baker wants to win badly.

Recall that postgame speech by Baker after a loss on Hard Knocks? Baker takes losing hard.

But security can balance out a situation where winning is hard.

Think of it this way:

Baker sees that the Cardinals are rebuilding and doesn’t love the idea of playing his prime while the team takes its lumps, especially with no guarantees left in his current deal.

It is much more palatable to deal with the struggles and to be the leader and face of the team when the team is showing you the financial respect you feel you warrant.

Did Larry Fitzgerald complain about the Cardinals and his situation? No, because he was consistently paid.

Ideally, Baker wants both security and winning.

Right now, it doesn’t look like he has either. Yes, he is due a solid salary over the next two seasons, but they aren’t guaranteed.

Without either, this is what he has chosen to do to try and get, at least, one or the other.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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5 NFL trade destinations for Cardinals’ S Budda Baker, including the Jaguars

We think these 5 NFL teams would be great fits for safety Budda Baker.

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker has officially requested a trade from the team that drafted him.

While safeties may not carry the value of a star quarterback or pass rusher, Baker is one of the best at his position in the league and could give a championship-caliber team a major shot of adrenaline.

It remains to be seen if the Cardinals would actually entertain the idea of trading Baker, but we could imagine there would be a good number of NFL teams that would have interest in his talents.

Let’s take a look at who some of those teams could be.

Budda Baker’s trade request doesn’t mean he’s getting traded

Both Patrick Peterson and Chandler Jones requested trades. They didn’t leave until their contracts expired.

The Arizona Cardinals were in the news again for all the wrong reasons when the report hit from multiple outlets that safety Budda Baker has requested a trade from the team.

He wanted a contract extension and that was not given so now he he asking to be dealt elsewhere.

It is never a good look for a team when one of their best players does this.

However, recent history shows that he won’t necessarily be traded.

Cornerback Patrick Peterson requested a trade in 2018. That didn’t happen.

Pass rusher Chandler Jones requested a trade. That didn’t happen.

This is a common leverage move players attempt to make with two years remaining on their contracts. They want to accelerate the process of getting a new contract. Teams are often reluctant to do that with more than a year remaining.

Basically, the player says pay me or send me to a team who will pay me.

In Baker’s case, a new contract would be what balances the potential losing for a season or two with what appears to be a rebuild.

This is a big story right now. The NFL draft is in less than two weeks.

This is the window for a trade. If the Cardinals move him, it will happen before the draft or during the draft.

If it doesn’t, expect him to play for Arizona in 2023.

The Cardinals’ last two stars to request a trade were not dealt.

We shouldn’t expect a deal to be imminent or even likely.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Budda Baker officially wants out of Arizona following cryptic social media behavior

Baker may have played his last snap as a member of the Cardinals.

After quite a bit of speculation, two-time First-Team All-Pro safety Budda Baker formally requested a trade from the Arizona Cardinals on Friday evening, per multiple reports.

It wasn’t exactly surprising. Prior to the news of his request breaking, Baker had hinted at potential frustrations with his situation in Arizona through social media. He apparently removed references to the team from his Twitter account, and he also changed his profile picture, which was previously a picture of him in a Cardinals uniform.

That wasn’t the only indication that Baker was looking for a change in location, however. He also intimated potential grievances with the team in a Twitter post on Thursday night.

Baker’s dissatisfaction with his situation is not a particularly new development. At the Pro Bowl in February, he publicly criticized the team’s lack of preparation in 2022.

Around the same time, he privately told the team that he either wanted to be traded or receive a new deal that would make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Cardinals apparently did not opt for the latter.

Baker was drafted by Arizona in the second round back in 2017, and he signed a four-year extension worth a total of $59 million in 2020. Per Spotrac, any team that acquires him would owe him $13.096 million in 2023 and $14.2 million in 2024.

While he wouldn’t exactly come cheap, and Arizona would likely require quite a bit of inducement to trade him, he is also one of the best safeties in the NFL and is still easily in his prime at just 27.

In addition to Baker’s First-Team All-Pro honors, he also was a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 2021 and has made five Pro Bowls in his career, including in each of the last four seasons.

Despite missing two games in 2022, he finished the year with 111 total tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions.

It’s still unclear if Arizona intends to trade him (or how Baker would respond if it doesn’t) but one thing is for certain: If Baker has indeed played his last snap as a Cardinal, someone is about to land an elite player in the secondary.

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Cardinals safety Budda Baker has requested a trade

Star safety Budda Baker has requested a trade from the Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals star safety Budda Baker has requested a trade, according to a number of NFL insiders.

Baker, a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, has been a team captain and cornerstone for Arizona’s defense.

He has two years left on his current contract, after signing an extension with the Cardinals in 2020. Baker is slated to earn $13.096 million in 2023 and $14.2 million in 2024.

Baker raised questions when he shared a cryptic tweet and removed Arizona and the Cardinals from his Twitter bio.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Josh Weinfuss, “Baker has been unhappy with his situation this offseason.”

Baker, a former second-round pick in 2017, has spent his entire NFL career with the Cardinals. Last season, he totaled 111 tackles, two interceptions, seven pass breakups and forced one fumble in 15 starts.

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