A week removed from Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker’s request for a trade surfacing, the All-Pro remains on the roster and in high regard within the front office.
First-year general manager Monti Ossenfort said he has engaged in discussions with Baker and his representation, but intends on keeping those talks in-house.
“Myself, [head coach Jonathan Gannon], we’ve had a lot of conversations with Budda and his representation,” Ossenfort told reporters at a Friday news conference. “A lot of productive conversations. And those continue to happen.
“I understand that Budda went public with his request last week. I would say that the conversations that I’ve had with Budda, I want those to remain between Budda and I. Those are personal, those are private. I’m not going to get into a situation where I’m handling one of those situations in the public forum. … But again, I think I’ve been clear about how I feel about Budda as a person and a player, and nothing about that has changed.”
Nothing has changed overall since NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on April 14 that Baker had requested a trade.
Baker, 27, is a five-time Pro Bowler with two seasons left on a four-year, $59 million extension he signed ahead of the 2020 season. Currently, Baker sits as the seventh-highest-paid safety annually, per Over the Cap. Looking for better compensation, Baker is now looking to leave Glendale, but seven days have passed and nothing has come to fruition.
Nothing has come to pass with Cardinals veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins, either.
While Baker’s trade request popped up suddenly and recently, Hopkins’ name has been bandied about in trade rumors all offseason. He’s due upward of $34 million over the final two seasons of his current contract with the Cardinals, who are at the beginning stages of a rebuild and not exactly in huge need of a high-priced 30-year-old veteran receiver.
Ossenfort followed suit with Hopkins, electing to keep talks between parties and updates at a minimum.
“It’s similar to the Budda conversation,” Ossenfort said. “I’ve had a lot of interaction with Hop. He’s been great. Good discussions back and forth. As it pertains to his situation, I’m going to keep those discussions between us, as well. But Hop, he has proven to be a good player in this league, and he’s obviously a very talented player. I think productive conversations with Hop, I’m just going to keep those to between us.”
A day after the Cardinals unveiled new uniforms, it remains unclear if Baker and/or Hopkins will get a chance to wear one come the 2023 season.