The Green Bay Packers will have a new-look team in 2023. For the first time in more than three decades, Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers won’t be under center come week one. That being said, the optimism behind Jordan Love is certainly sky-high. Giving Jordan Love a stellar defense in his first year starting will be a top priority. Going into last season, many predicted the Green Bay Packers having a top-five defensive unit in the NFL. Even after a great second half of the season, the Packers finished in the middle of the pack in most defensive statistics. Consistent safety play was a big reason for that.
Trade Proposal Lands All-Pro Safety Budda Baker
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.
Proposed Trade:
Green Bay Packers Receive:
- Safety Budda Baker
Arizona Cardinals Receive:
- Safety Darnell Savage
- 2023 second-round pick
Savage has been previously linked in a potential Aaron Rodgers trade. Either way it seems unlikely he will return to the Green Bay Packers once he hits free agency in 2024. The move would get Savage’s $7.9 million fifth-year option off the books for 2023, making it easier for the Packers to take on Baker’s contract in this trade scenario.
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