Arizona Cardinals star defensive back Budda Baker requested a trade on Friday.
“Team source: Budda Baker informed the Cardinals in February that he wanted to be traded or receive a new deal to make him the highest-paid safety,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted.
Baker quickly rose up the ranks in the team as one of their biggest leaders. If not the leader of the entire defense, as Hard Knocks: In Season showed off this past season.
The Cardinals selected Baker 36th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, he’s been one of the most productive safeties in the league. He’s a three-time All-Pro selection and a five-time Pro Bowler.
So it will be fascinating to see whether the Cardinals give in to his demands to be the highest-paid safety in the league. Or, perhaps more grimly, send one of its leaders off somewhere else.
Prior to arriving in Arizona, Baker starred at the University of Washington. The former Husky was a Consensus All-American in 2016 and a two-time First-Team All-Pac-12 selection.
In his career, he’s logged seven career interceptions, with his career-high set in 2021 (3).
Baker himself sounded off about the report, seemingly confirming it.
Other NFL teams would be champing at the bit to acquire a player the caliber of Budda Baker. So should the Cardinals not be able to negotiate a deal, some other team may luck out.
The NFL world reacted to the shocking news.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022