The Cardinals might make a deal by Tuesday afternoon, but don’t expect Budda Baker to be part of them.
The NFL trade deadline is 2 p.m. Arizona time Tuesday and while there’s always a lot of noise at this time of the year, much of it turns out to be empty words.
Having said that, Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said he will be busy seeing if there is something that makes sense especially when it might result in adding quality to the defensive line or edge-rushing group.
On ArizonaSports 98.7 FM Friday, Ossenfort acknowledged, “We’ve been involved in a number of talks with teams and will continue to be. As with anything, there’s a lot that goes into a trade. Players have to be available from other teams and then next it has to be a fit for us and then (there’s) the cost of doing a move. You’ve got to check off a lot of boxes.
“There’s always a balance. You try to investigate every opportunity that may or not be there.”
Asked specifically about the pass rush, he said, “Any position that can help our team is a priority for us.”
He then acknowledged the injuries that have occurred on the interior line and the edge group and said, “Those are certainly positions we’re going to look at what (might be) available. What is out there isn’t always the truth. We have to sift through that information and make our own decisions of what’s best for this team.”
So, Monti, is your expectation that some deal will happen?
“My expectation is to investigate any opportunity that comes up,” he said. “There’s always a balance of going to make a move and then what’s the alternative of not making a move and what’s the cost of that, not only for the near term but the future? I have no expectation other than we’re going to investigate every single opportunity that comes across, and if there’s an opportunity that we want to pursue, we’re going to go investigate that as well.
“If something comes together that we feel can help this team, we’re going to be excited to do it. But we also don’t want to make a move just to make a move if it’s not the right move for this team.”
Finally, the subject of trade rumors involving safety Budda Baker occurred. Baker is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March, but it’s important to realize that if he leaves in the offseason, the Cardinals could acquire a compensatory draft pick that could be in line with what they might acquire in a trade.
Still, when the subject was brought up, Ossenfort chuckled and said, “I’d say, ‘Don’t believe everything you read.’ Budda’s a big part of what we’re doing. Budda’s a big part of not only on the field but off the field and the leadership he provides.”
As for the scuttlebutt, which is often driven by agents, Ossenfort said, “I think there’s a lot of information, a lot misinformation that’s out there this time of year, whether it’s pertaining to our players or somebody else’s players.
“Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in. People can throw anything out there that really may not have any truth to it at all. That’s why our league is so popular and people love reading things out there.”
But, he concluded, “Couldn’t be more excited to have Budda with us.”
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