Packers Urged to Trade for Cardinals Star

The Green Bay Packers should trade for Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, according to Bleacher Report.

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) during player introductions before facing the Los Angeles / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker is entering the final year of his contract, and though noise surrounding his status has calmed down, that still hasn't stopped the theoretical trade market from moving the star defender.

Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton pieced together trades for contenders this offseason, and Baker was sent to the Green Bay Packers:

"The Green Bay Packers allowed safeties Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens to walk in free agency. They signed versatile defensive back Xavier McKinney to fill that void. The Packers can go a step further to field one of the best safety tandems in the league with the addition of Budda Baker," wrote Moton.

"Typically, safeties rank low on the priority list of roster needs, but Packers cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes have struggled to stay on the field. Last season, they missed 24 games combined.

"When starting cornerbacks sit out, safeties usually become a little more important in the defensive scheme. Along with McKinney, Baker can patch up holes in the secondary whether the Packers play at full strength or take the field short-handed.

"Over the last two years, the six-time Pro Bowler has experienced some struggles in pass coverage while playing with a subpar supporting cast, but the Packers can use him in the box to compensate for a need at inside linebacker. In seven pro seasons, the 28-year-old has been a reliable tackler. He only missed 6.5 percent of his tackle attempts last season.

"Because of the modest market for safeties, Green Bay should be able to acquire Baker from the Arizona Cardinals with a late-round draft pick, even though he's earned Pro Bowl nods in five consecutive terms."

Baker - 28 - recently praised Kyler Murray's progression and seems to be excited for the upcoming season in Arizona:

“It’s night and day from his rookie year until now. Always a great player. (But now) a guy you can talk to, any of the players can talk to whether it’s the practice squad guys or the best players on the team. He’s around us. He jokes, cracks jokes, he talks. He’s a great leader, so definitely excited for him to continue to grow, continue to get better and lead this organization," he said.

The Cardinals have remained fairly insistent Baker is a part of the team's plans, and if Arizona was indeed intent on moving the star safety, they likely would have done so last season when his value was higher.

Baker's $19.025 million cap hit for 2024 is second on the team according to OverTheCap.com.