The free agent safety market had a surplus of talent at the start of the 2024 league year. With several big-name stars switching teams, most of the top players have already signed contracts for the 2024 season. However, one article indicates that safety Budda Baker could be a trade candidate as the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals look to get younger.
A second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Budda Baker has been one of the NFL’s best safeties ever since entering the league, and the trade candidate is still playing at a high level. While injuries limited him to 12 games, the Washington product earned another trip to the Pro Bowl after recording 87 tackles and five tackles-for-loss.
Budda Baker requested a trade last year, but the two sides agreed to a slight pay raise instead. Now, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports believes that the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, and San Francisco 49ers could pursue the veteran.
3 Suitors Listed In Budda Baker Trade
Benjamin’s article came out on the same day the Colts re-signed Julian Blackmon, so he probably didn’t know about the deal as he was writing the article. So, let’s assume that Blackmon’s return takes them out of the Budda Baker trade sweepstakes.
The Buffalo Bills are an obvious choice. After losing Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, this team needs more playmaking safeties. The team re-signed Taylor Rapp and brought in Mike Edwards, but neither player offers the same upside as the six-time Pro Bowler. With a whopping 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, this team should be willing to trade one of those selections for a proven playmaker in Budda Baker.
The San Francisco 49ers could use Budda Baker to solidify their secondary, but would the Arizona Cardinals ever trade one of their best players to a division rival? This doesn’t seem particularly likely, as the Cardinals aren’t that far away from fighting for the division. The team hovered around .500 with a rusty Kyler Murray under center, and now they have six top-100 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. While they probably won’t win the NFC West in 2024, they could be competitive if they find a few impact players with those early selections.
Other Potential Fits
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs should fortify their secondary following the L’Jarius Sneed trade. Sneed, of course, played cornerback, so adding a safety won’t directly fix the problems in the secondary. With that being said, Sneed and Trent McDuffie’s ability to take away top receivers made the safety position less important. With one lockdown cornerback, Kansas City could trade for a safety like Budda Baker to provide some support on the back end.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles thought they were getting a true difference-maker when they acquired Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately, age caught up with the veteran and they released him at the start of the 2024 league year. While C.J. Gardner-Johnson can fill the void at safety, this team could trade for Budda Baker and create arguably the best safety duo in football.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints released Marcus Maye in a cost-cutting move and have yet to find an adequate replacement. Tyrann Mathieu is still a good player, but he needs a solid counterpart if New Orleans wants to win games with defense. Seeing as the offense is nothing special, a Budda Baker might be necessary if this team wants to win a relatively weak NFC South.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens use three-safety looks more than any other team in football. With Geno Stone now on the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore should consider a Budda Baker trade to address the absence in their secondary. Paired with Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams, nobody will be able to attack the middle of this defense.
Main Photo: Philip G. Pavely – USA Today Sports
