Will the Cardinals Trade Budda Baker? Fantasy Football Outlook

April 22, 2023

Will the Arizona Cardinals trade safety Budda Baker? Which teams are favorites to land Baker if he leaves the Cardinals? Read the 2023 NFL free agency outlook.

Safety Budda Baker has requested a trade from the Arizona Cardinals. The former Washington standout left several tea leaves online to clarify his intentions. Aside from removing all references to the Cardinals on his social media accounts, he also made cryptic posts that he wanted out. He also called out several starters for not preparing enough to begin another season. The Cardinals finished at 4-13, their worst record since 2018.

Multiple reports also reveal that the Cardinals were not keen on making him the highest-paid player at his position. His 2023 base salary of $13.1 million puts him fourth, behind Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard, and Quandre Diggs. Meanwhile, his $14.75 million annual average value puts him at seventh. Derwin James takes the top spot at $19.1 million.

Trading Baker will further deplete a defense that ranked 24^th in passing yards allowed (230.3) and 31^st in points allowed (26.4) per game. However, the Cardinals have an ace up their sleeve because Baker has two years left in his contract. Every game he sits out will reduce his potential earnings. At some point, unhappy players will get their way. Their mindset could affect the team’s morale, which will not help the Cardinals’ cause, considering they are playing in a tough division. If Arizona considers a trade, they must get ample draft capital or a reliable defensive back in return. That team must also have cap space to address Baker’s request.

Potential landing spots for Budda Baker

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman can pull something out of the bag. After all, he was able to acquire James Bradberry and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. But the Eagles’ secondary needs new faces after Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps left in free agency. Having him with Bradberry and Darius Slay gives the reigning NFC Champions an elite secondary.

The Houston Texans have the draft capital and the cap space to make the trade happen. While the Texans ranked tenth in passing yards allowed per game last season, they could still use some help to guide Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley Jr. But are they willing to lose the picks? Besides, upgrading their run defense will be more important, considering they finished last in that category in 2022.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be in play, and a safety tandem of him and Minkah Fitzpatrick will give opposing offenses a hard time. The Steelers finished 19^th in passing yards allowed last season, and they could use an upgrade, mainly because they will face quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson at least twice per season.

If a trade for Baker pushes through, his new team will get one of the best safeties in the league. Since his rookie year in 2017, he has been a two-time First Team All-Pro and one-time Second Team All-Pro. He has also been a Pro Bowler in all seasons except 2018. He has 650 total tackles, 34 passes defended, 7.5 sacks, and seven interceptions as of the 2022 season.

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