Budda Baker Signs Extension With Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals and Budda Baker have reached an agreement.

Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals have officially announced a three-year contract extension with safety Budda Baker.

The deal will keep Baker under contract with the team through the 2027 season.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport is reporting the deal is a three-year, $54 million extension with $30 million guaranteed.

More information provided from the official press release:

- Selected by the Cardinals in the second round (36th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Washington, Baker has been selected to six Pro Bowls and was named a starter at safety in five consecutive years. He is the only safety in the NFL named to the Pro Bowl each of the last five seasons (2019-23).

- Voted a team captain each of the last five seasons (2020-24), he is just the third player in Cardinals history to receive at least six Pro Bowl selections in his first seven NFL seasons joining Patrick Peterson (7) and Ollie Matson (6)

- Baker has earned Associated Press All-Pro honors three times, with first-team honors in 2017 and 2020 and second-team honors in 2021.

- The 28-year old Baker has appeared in 119 games (109 starts) during the regular season and has 861 tackles (600 solo), 46 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, seven interceptions, 37 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries (one returned for a TD).

- Since entering the league in 2017, he leads all NFL defensive backs in total tackles (861) and solo tackles (600). His 861 tackles are 77 more than the player who ranks second on the list (Kevin Byard - 784).

- This season, Baker leads the Cardinals and ranks second in the NFL with 142 tackles. He needs six tackles over the next three games to set a new career-high (147 in 2019). Baker reached 100 tackles this season in Week 10 against the Jets, becoming the Cardinals first player to have 100+ tackles through the first 10 weeks of a season since 1994 when the stat first became trackable.

- The 2024 season is Baker’s fifth year with 100+ tackles, the most among active defensive backs. He also has 33 career games with double-digit tackles, including seven this season. His 33 games with double-digit tackles are the most among NFL defensive backs dating back to his rookie season in 2017.

- Baker is the only defensive back in the NFL with at least 85 tackles each of the last seven seasons and one of just seven NFL players – at any position – to accomplish the feat.

The extension comes weeks after Arizona signed James Conner to a two-year extension, ensuring captains on both side of the ball will remain with the Cardinals.

Great news for a franchise legend sticking around in the desert