Cardinals Send Budda Baker to Eagles in Mock Trade
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker wants paid. He also wants to play for a Super Bowl.
As of now, it's unlikely either of those two things happen in the desert.
The Cardinals are currently in the first year of their rebuild and their roster didn't improve from last year's 4-13 effort. Kyler Murray will be out for at least the beginning part of the season while he rehabs an ACL tear, and expectations aren't high around Arizona.
As such, it doesn't make sense for the Cardinals to make anybody the highest paid at their position, which is what Baker reportedly requested before making his trade request public.
Baker - still 27-years-old - could be a valuable asset for any team that finds themselves in contention.
Bleacher Report says look no further than the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles:
Cardinals Send Budda Baker to Eagles in Mock Trade
Eagles Get: S Budda Baker
Cardinals Get: 2024 fifth-round pick, 2025 third-round pick
"The Philadelphia Eagles have a fairly strong secondary but did lose safety/slot defender C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the offseason. General manager Howie Roseman has also shown he's willing to acquire veterans who can help his team on the trade market—he snagged Gardner-Johnson from the New Orleans Saints just before the start of the 2022 season," said Kristopher Knox.
"Philadelphia, which has $12.7 million in cap space, wouldn't have to create a ton of space to absorb Baker's $13 million base salary. He would be a superior replacement for Gardner-Johnson over free-agent addition Terrell Edmunds and perhaps more ready than third-round pick Sydney Brown.
"Gardner-Johnson was acquired along with a 2025 seventh-round pick for fifth- and sixth-round selections, but he was entering the final year of his contract and has never achieved All-Pro status as Baker has. Getting the final two years of Baker's contract would likely require a Day 2 selection, though Arizona is light on leverage and might not be able to demand much more."
When it comes to Baker's potential departure, the Cardinals are operating as if he'll remain with the team.
"I think Budda will show up when he wants to show up. He's been awesome, he kind of wears us out a little bit with the tape and different things like that. But he's working, he'll get himself ready to play," said head coach Jonathan Gannon at OTA's earlier this week.
Baker has two years left on his deal with no guaranteed money.
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