Should the Jaguars Trade For Cardinals DB Budda Baker?
Another day, another star NFL player looking for a new home.
No matter what era of pro football, there have always been and will always be players looking for greener pastures. This week, it is Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker.
Related: Tony Jefferson Lists Jaguars as a Top Fit for Cardinals DB Budda Baker
For the NFL's other 31 teams -- including the Jacksonville Jaguars -- Baker's request means a chance to potentially upgrade their secondaries in a big way. But does Baker make sense for the Jaguars specifically?
According to ESPN, Baker told the Cardinals in February that he wanted to be traded if he did not receive a new deal that would make him the highest-paid safety. Baker is currently the NFL's seventh-highest-paid safety.
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.
Baker has appeared in 93 games with the Cardinals since being a second-round pick in 2017, earning Pro Bowl honors in all but one season. Baker has recorded 650 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, seven interceptions, 34 pass deflections, six forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.
Baker started 15 games in 2023, recording 111 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, seven pass deflections, and one forced fumble.
On the surface, there are questions to ask about the Jaguars' need to make such a move. Any team that trades for Baker will have to do so while also making him the NFL's highest-paid safety; for reference, the current top safety deal is Derwin James' four-year, $76.532 million ($19.13 million per year) with $38.584 million in guarantees.
According to Over The Cap, the Jaguars have $14,872,022 in cap space, so a Baker contract would likely take up all of the Jaguars' available cap and then some.
Then there is the fact that the Jaguars have two starting-level safeties in Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco, each of whom is coming off a strong season in terms of production. Jenkins is paid too much to be a third safety, while Cisco's talent and range are needed on the field.
The Jaguars also hold the No. 24 overall pick. While there is no prospect in this draft who is on the level of Baker, the Jaguars could conceivably get a cheaper, younger prospect like Brian Branch in place of paying Baker roughly $20 million a year.
But, that is about where the questions end.
The Jaguars' cap would be tight with Baker fit under it, but never say never. The Jaguars had interest in other big-name defensive backs earlier in the offseason, so they clearly would have a plan to maneuver the cap to fit another big contract under it. If it is doable -- and in most cases in the NFL, it is -- then Baker is the type of blue-chip talent worth trading for.
"Everyone loves this guy. You won't find anyone in the league who doesn't admire his game," an AFC defensive coach told ESPN in 2021.
Baker would be able to coexist with the rest of the current Jaguars' secondary, too. While Baker has said before that his most natural position is free safety, he is the type of defensive back who fits anywhere and everywhere. He could be the Jaguars' starting slot cornerback in a traditional sense, but also give the Jaguars the versatility to deploy other players in the slot such as Jenkins or Darious Williams.
Baker is a chess piece. While the Jaguars have several talented defensive backs, they do not have a player like Baker who can line up in four different positions on four different plays and still not have a dip in his production.
For the Jaguars' scheme, which emphasizes blitzing from the secondary, Baker would fit like a glove. He can cover deep and allow players like Jenkins to patrol the box, while also giving the Jaguars a defensive back who can erase tight ends and slot receivers.
Baker is a legitimate top safety in the NFL, belonging in the same conversation as Minkah Fitzpatrick, James, Justin Simmons, and the NFL's other elite. For a Jaguars' team whose biggest Week 1 hole is still in the secondary, Baker would be a transcendent talent.
Baker is the type of blue-chip talent at a position of need that doesn't come around often. The Jaguars may like this year's crop of draft prospects, but there is no Baker in this class; only Branch is projected to be a top-50 pick among this year's safety class, which is considered among the weakest in years.
Baker would come with a big price-tag. And the Jaguars would have to part with likely at least a third-round pick, which would have to be this year's selection since they can't trade next year's second-, third- or fourth-round pick due to the Calvin Ridley trade.
But the Jaguars need to close the gap between themselves and the rest of the AFC's elite. Hoping for development in young players is one way to do that. Landing a sure thing like Baker is a whole other.
