A blockbuster trade proposal has a top team in the AFC landing one of the game’s elite safeties.
Earlier this offseason, Arizona Cardinals’ Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker requested a trade from the organization. But as training camp draws closer, the 27-year-old Baker is still a member of the Cardinals.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed a blockbuster trade that gets Budda out of Arizona and onto an AFC contender. Ballentine came up with a trade idea in which the Jacksonville Jaguars land Baker in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick:
“Adding a defender such as Budda Baker to the secondary could be the X-factor that pushes them to the next level. The five-time Pro Bowler is a do-it-all defensive back who can fit in with the Jaguars secondary.
He’d give defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell a versatile tool in his arsenal as he works to craft game plans for the explosive offenses they are bound to see in the postseason.
As constructed, the Jags are the AFC South favorite but will likely be the underdog when it comes to playing the best teams in the conference. Adding Baker to the mix is the kind of move that inches them closer to being considered among the elite.”
The Jaguars were one of football’s biggest surprises of 2022, winning the AFC South with a 9-8 record just one year after finishing with the league’s worst record at 13-4-0.
That said, they could definitely use some help in the secondary. The club had the league’s fifth-worst pass defense in 2022, allowing 238.5 yards per game. Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams are a stellar cornerback duo, but a player like Baker would make this secondary that much better.
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Arizona drafted Baker in the second round (36th overall) in 2017. The five-time Pro Bowler has recorded seven interceptions, 34 pass defenses, six forced fumbles, 7.5 sacks and 650 combined tackles through his first six NFL seasons.
The Cardinals already lost J.J. Watt and A.J. Green to retirement, and star wideout DeAndre Hopkins was released back in May. Trading Baker would signal that the full-scale rebuild is on in The Desert, but we’ll see if Arizona actually looks to move out their star safety before Week 1.
