Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport recently predicted the next wave of NFL stars to request a trade. That list included: Maxx Crosby, George Pickens, Garrett Wilson, Denzel Ward, Jonathan Taylor, and Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker.
Davenport brings up a concerningly true point regarding how losing has to be taking a toll on the 30-year-old veteran, who has appeared in just one playoff game since joining Arizona in 2017.
"Given the current state of the Cardinals' roster, it's hard to see him getting back to the playoffs anytime soon, as Arizona could plausibly be in the mix for one of the league's worst records in 2026. Baker isn't set to hit free agency until his age-32 season. The reality is that if he wants to win, it's going to have to be somewhere else."
Cardinals' struggles risk a Budda Baker trade request
That's already a red flag in itself, but it's also the fact that the Cardinals organization hasn't exactly done the best job of suggesting that things will change anytime soon. Embracing a rebuild is one thing, and likely the smart decision in the long run. But lowball offers for tight end Trey McBride and, most recently, Jacoby Brissett risk conveying the wrong message to stars like Baker, and even McBride for that matter.
Baker remains a top safety in the league and is a key piece of a lackluster Cardinals defense that they can't afford to lose. They need to at least gauge the situation to see to what extent all this losing is taking a toll on him. The worst-case scenario is to let this frustration remain unresolved until he enters free agency, where Arizona would risk having their star walk for nothing.
Baker is too important a piece for Arizona to willingly trade away for future assets that better align with their rebuilding timeline. Still, they need to proactively get ahead of the situation. It's at least worth exploring the market to see if there's currently an offer out there that's too good to refuse. If not, the Cardinals may have some serious damage control to do with their star safety.
But unfortunately, Cardinals fans have seen this predicament with their star players time and time again. It's a bigger issue that needs to be addressed, starting with properly valuing players and establishing a winning culture in the valley.
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