The Green Bay Packers haven’t been shy about making blockbuster trades in recent seasons, but they’ve often traded big names for draft capital.
As free agency rolls around, Green Bay could be back on the other side of the coin. Move into an expensive business and move to a reputable company, even if your organization is not tied to a fixed contract after 2024.
Bleacher Report’s research department released its offseason trade guide for the Packers on Monday, Jan. 29, suggesting that safety Budda Baker should be Green Bay’s top target. “Green Bay could lose safeties Jonathan Owens, Christian Ufoff and Darnell Savage in free agency this year,” the scouts wrote. “A trade for Arizona safety Budda Baker, who is entering the final year of his contract, could help reload the secondary quickly.”Baker is an elite safety. That word may be overused in the world of hypothetical trade proposals and free agent speculation, but when it comes to Baker, it’s the only applicable adjective.Arizona drafted the safety in 2017 and immediately earned first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie.
Over seven NFL seasons, Baker was selected to one of the All-Pro teams three times and earned Pro-Bowl nominations in six campaigns. Baker signed a four-year, $59 million contract with the Cardinals in August 2020. He sought to renegotiate his contract through the 2023 season, demanding that Arizona either make him the highest-paid player in the NFL or – change it elsewhere. The team did neither, and Baker played in 12 games for the Cardinals and made one more Pro-Bowl appearance. So it would make sense for the Packers to extend Baker after trading him.
This would allow both sides to redo their contract and immediately lower the cap. He also addresses the potential flaws of the defense, which will be a major focus this offseason as the team searches for a new coordinator to replace the fired Joe Barry. Baker is only 28 years old, and while his advanced analytics and traditional counting stats will decline in 2023, he’s still an elite player with time off. He’s also missed just 10 of 115 career regular-season games, which bodes well for his health.
The organization could soften Baker’s initial hit by structuring the deal with a significant signing bonus and still be a free agent. Cut or trade David Bakhtiari this summer to raise his cap rate to $21. That takes into account his recent injury issues and his $40 million cap hit in 2024.
