Budda Baker #3 of the Arizona Cardinals. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Safety Budda Baker reportedly requested a trade from the Arizona Cardinals. These three teams need to go get him this offseason.
The Arizona Cardinals failed to build off their run to the playoffs in the 2021 season, as they finished last in the NFC West with a 4-13 record. That resulted in the team firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury, while general manager Steve Keim stepped down from his position. Entering the organization are new general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon, as they look to mold the team in their image.
This is a team that watched defensive end J.J. Watt retire, allowed wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to speak to teams regarding a trade, and are waiting for quarterback Kyler Murray to recover from a torn ACL suffered late last season. Their outlook for the 2023 season already wasn’t looking great. Now, it looks even worse.
On Friday, NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport reported that Cardinals safety Budda Baker had requested a trade from the team. This news arrived hours after Twitter users noticed that he removed “AZ” from his profile biography.
Baker is one of the top safeties in the NFL, so there is no doubt going to be plenty of suitors for the five-time Pro Bowler. Here are three teams that need to make a run at him following his trade request.
3 teams that need to trade for Budda Baker, No. 3: Green Bay Packers
One team that is in need of safety help are the Green Bay Packers. While yes, they are currently dealing with the Aaron Rodgers trade saga, they could stand to shore up their secondary.
The Packers allowed Adrian Amos to hit free agency this offseason, and he has yet to find a new team. Last year, he recorded 102 combined tackles (73 solo, 29 assisted), seven tackles for loss, five passes defended, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one sack. In coverage, Amos allowed 35 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns on 50 targets, per Pro Football Reference.
Baker is under contract for two more seasons, where he is set to make $13.1 million in base salary this upcoming season and $14.2 million in base salary in 2024. The Packers have the cap space to bring him in. But, maybe they could use the return they receive from the New York Jets in the impending Rodgers trade (whenever that happens) to bring in Baker.
The Packers could opt to address safety in the NFL Draft, but Baker would be an immediate impact move.