The Green Bay Packers certainly have some holes on defense to address this off-season. There may be none bigger than the safety position. Currently, Adrian Amos is a free agent and Darnell Savage is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Rasul Douglas has even been rumored to play more safety in 2023. As it turns out, there is one All-Pro Safety who just requested a trade from his current team
Arizona Cardinals Safety Budda Baker Has Requested A Trade
Arizona Cardinals five-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker has requested a trade, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday. Baker informed the Cardinals in February that he wanted to be traded or receive a new deal to make him the highest-paid safety, the source said. Baker is owed $13.1 million this season and $14.2 million in 2024 from a four-year, $59 million extension he signed in 2020 that made him the highest-paid NFL safety at the time.
Budda Baker is one of the best safeties in the NFL. He is a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, and was a second-team All-Pro in 2021. Over the past three seasons, Baker has made 20 pass defenses, seven interceptions, four sacks, and forced two fumbles. That type of production would be huge for the Green Bay Packers’ defense who has needed consistency for quite some time.
It would certainly take quite a bit of compensation and then a large contract commitment for the Packers to bring in one of the best safeties in the NFL. However, at 27 years old, the Packers would have a long-term fix at the safety position. When the news broke that Baker wanted a trade, many took to social media:
Good point. New Packers defensive passing game coordinator is Greg Williams, who coached cornerbacks the last four seasons in Arizona, where Budda Baker has been a safety since 2017. https://t.co/w8doxu14nS
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) April 14, 2023
Budda Baker, YOU are a Packer! https://t.co/kpeU0eNIVj
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) April 14, 2023
I’m always partial to the whole “Packers trading for Pro Bowl player” talk but like…
I could count on one hand the players who are a better fit in Green Bay than Budda Baker.
If ever a big trade acquisition was to happen, this is it.
— Daire Carragher (@DaireCarragher) April 14, 2023
allow me to cook: get nos. 42 and 43 from new york, flip one of them for budda baker and simply prosper. the packers have been stuck in safety limbo since 2011, do what you have to do to break the cycle
— zach jacobson (@itszacharyj) April 14, 2023
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