NFL Rumors: Eagles named as a potential landing spot for Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker
Whenever an NFL player requests a trade or is rumored to be on the trading block, somehow the Philadelphia Eagles are always linked to it. It’s tradition at this point.
The latest notable player to request a trade from his current team is Cardinals Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker, who reportedly informed the team back in February that he wanted to be traded or receive a new deal to make him the highest paid safety in the league.
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Baker has two years remaining on the four-year, $59 million extension he signed in 2020. Which at the time made him the highest paid safety in football. He’s owed approximately $13.1M this year and $14.2M the following season.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Eagles are viewed a potential landing spot from sources around the league. The reason being – Philadelphia has a need at safety after losing CJ Gardner-Johnson to free agency. Well, no shit. That much is obvious.
The Eagles have a need at safety. Howie Roseman is known for his aggressiveness during the offseason. Bada bing bada boom. The Eagles are now linked to one of the best safeties in the league.
If that’s the only reason teams view Philly as a potential destination for Baker, we shouldn’t put much stock into the rumors.
Roseman has already acquired two safeties this offseason to compensate for the losses of CJGJ and Marcus Epps – Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans. Those guys obviously aren’t one-for-one replacements of the starting safety duo from 2022, but they’ll only cost a combined $3.3M against the cap this year.
Baker – who is already sixth-highest paid safety in football – wants a salary increase. Making him the highest paid safety now means he’d get paid over $19M per year. Howie won’t do that. The front office didn’t budge when CJGJ balked at their $8M per year offer. There’s no shot Howie and Co. will pay Baker over double what they were going to pay Gardner-Johnson.
Baker is a great player and one of the best run defending safeties in the league, but $19M per year is just too much money.
>> Read More: Eagles 7-Round Mock Draft: Howie finds his Javon Hargrave replacement; WR room becomes unstoppable
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