Bleacher Report lists Cardinals in trade proposal involving Budda Baker
By Brandon Ray
The NFL is a business in which teams make some unpopular choices that causes uproar from fanbases. At the end of the day, it is up to the general manager to make those choices as long as there is a plan to support that specific choice. However, there are decisions that are made that bring joy to fanbases by the front office.
For example, in the 2020 offseason, the Arizona Cardinals made a shocking trade for star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans. At the time, Hopkins was worth at least a first-round pick so when the trade was announced, there was a lot of speculation that the Cardinals gave up a haul for Hopkins…it wasn’t even close to a haul.
The Cardinals only traded away a 2nd and 4th round pick, as well running back David Johnson who was on the decline of his career. This was a great trade for the Cardinals at the time and there were some great moments with Hopkins. That pairing would come to an end last offseason when the Cardinals released Hopkins.
Arizona is now in a spot where they are in a rebuild with a franchise quarterback. General manager Monti Ossenfort has taken control of this roster and he is giving Cardinals fans hope that football in Arizona will be on the rise. There is one big question regarding Arizona’s best player in Budda Baker…will he be in Arizona this season and beyond?
Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report created a trade proposal piece that could affect playoff races in 2024 for multiple teams. Davenport put the Cardinals in this article, but in a way that would send the Cardinals star out of Arizona…
Davenport proposes the Cardinals to trade Budda Baker to the Detroit Lions.
Davenport suggests that in this trade, the Cardinals would receive a 2025 2nd round pick and a 2026 7th round pick from the Lions. With Detroit looking to revamp their secondary, which was their weakest unit last season, acquiring Baker makes a lot of sense.
Baker is entering a contract year and we do not know if he will be back in Arizona, or if he even wants to be back with the Cardinals. Davenport goes on to say that the Cardinals are not in a position to make a run at the Super Bowl, but the Lions are, which is true. It is very possible that Baker has the same feelings about Arizona and could potentially want out at some point.
Ossenfort and the front office will need to decide if they want Baker back in Arizona after 2024, or if they even want him this season. It is hard to imagine that the Cardinals would trade away Baker before Week 1, but this league has shown us that anything is possible with any player.