NFL Rumors: Eagles land star safety in Bleacher Report’s latest mock trade
Eagles GM Howie Roseman is always inquiring about potential impact-starters looking for fresh starts.
During April’s draft, Roseman took advantage of an expendable player once Detroit selected Jahmyr Gibbs, only parting with a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-rounder to acquire D’Andre Swift’s services.
With DeAndre Hopkins officially out the door, Cardinals safety Budda Baker could soon follow as trade rumors swirl throughout the offseason. In a recent mock trade, Bleacher Report has the two-time All-Pro headed to Philly in exchange for a couple of draft picks:
Eagles Get: S Budda Baker
Cardinals Get: 2024 5th-round pick, 2025 3rd-round pick
Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker requested a trade or a raise earlier this offseason and appears uninterested in being a part of Arizona’s rebuild at his current price. The 27-year-old, who logged 111 tackles, seven passes defended, two interceptions and a forced fumble last season, would be a terrific addition to any team in need of secondary help.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a fairly strong secondary but did lose safety/slot defender C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the offseason. Philadelphia, which has $12.7 million in cap space, wouldn’t have to create a ton of space to absorb Baker’s $13 million base salary. He would be a superior replacement for Gardner-Johnson over free-agent addition Terrell Edmunds and perhaps more ready than third-round pick Sydney Brown.
Getting the final two years of Baker’s contract would likely require a Day 2 selection, though Arizona is light on leverage and might not be able to demand much more.
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Last month, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that NFL sources viewed Philadelphia as a potential destination for the star safety. Additionally, Baker stated that he ‘really likes Eagles HC Nick Sirianni‘ during media week ahead of Super Bowl LVII — a lot of smoke.
While the Eagles did a tremendous job retaining key pieces of their No. 1 ranked pass defense from a season ago (most notably signing CBs Darius Slay and James Bradberry to new deals) — adding a player of Baker’s caliber to the back end could propel them back to the Super Bowl.
Career Stats
- 650 total tackles (four seasons with 100+)
- 34 passes defended
- 7 INTs
- 6 forced fumbles
- 5 fumble recoveries (1 TD)
- 7.5 sacks
Baker is the only safety in the NFL to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons.
Budda Baker is playing and he is intercepting passes! 😮 @Buddabaker3
— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2022
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Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin | USA Today Sports
