Cardinals Budda Baker Requests a Trade, New Uniforms, and Other NFL Bullets
New Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon admitted this week that the allegations against owner Michael Bidwill are distracting. Now the rookie head coach has another distraction to deal with. Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker has requested a trade from the team, per multiple reports.
- Baker spent the first six seasons of his career with the Cardinals. The 27-year-old is a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-team All-Pro. Baker’s request could be honored, and the Cardinals would be able to add some draft picks to their chest of assets that new GM Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon will use to rebuild the team in the coming years.
- As it stands now, Baker is owed $13.06 million in 2023 and $14.2 million in 2024. However, any team trading for Baker should operate under the assumption that Baker will want a new contract with his new team.
- Baker is the seventh highest-paid safety in the NFL right now, according to OTC. Derwin James leads the pack with an annual average salary of $19 million. So, Baker will likely want to be in that ballpark with a new contract at 27 years old. Baker started 15 games for Arizona last season, recording 75 solo tackles before suffering a fractured shoulder on Christmas. Through 93 career games played, Baker has 7.5 sacks, seven interceptions, and 468 solo tackles.
- It’s been a turbulent offseason for the Cardinals. However, they own the third pick in the NFL Draft, and they’ve been working on finding a trade partner for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason. There’s been plenty of chatter lately about Arizona trading back from No. 3 at the draft, allowing them to acquire more picks to help build their bare roster. Trading Baker would open up cap space and create more picks to spend on younger cost-controlled players.
- Trading the fan-favorite Baker would cause more PR issues for the Cardinals. Still, with the team bringing in a new front office, coaching staff, and even new uniforms in 2023, a makeover may include Budda’s departure from Arizona.
- Speaking of the Cardinals’ new uniforms, they are expected to unveil their new uniforms at The Van Buren music venue in Phoenix on April 20, multiple sources told Kyle Odegard at Compare.bet. The Cardinals last unveiled new uniforms in 2005.
- The new Cardinals threads display the new Nike template for NFL jerseys on the uniform front. We got a sneak peek at the new tailoring template earlier this week when the Lions revealed their 90th-season patch on their uniforms. As Paul Lucas from Uni Watch explains:
“The new template, which is called the Vapor Fusion, includes some seams in different places than we’ve seen before, but the biggest and most noticeable change is to the collar, which now looks a bit like a bat signal.”
- More on that design from Lukas:
- In other news, the Falcons signed former Titans pass rusher Bud Dupree to a one-year deal on Friday. In 2022, Dupree recorded 4.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, and nine QB hits in 11 games with the Titans.
- Here’s a look at some of Atlanta’s additions on the defensive side of the ball this offseason:
- A new report at the Washington Post says that the sale of the Washington Commanders to Josh Harris is likely to get approved by the other NFL owners:
- So, that’s over …
