Cardinals' Budda Baker Skips Practice amid Contract Dispute, Trade Request

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker is present at the team's mandatory minicamp, but he is not practicing amid his reported ongoing contract dispute and trade request.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and ESPN's Josh Weinfuss provided more information.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in April that Baker asked the team in February to make him the league's highest-paid safety or trade him.

Baker signed a four-year, $59 million extension in 2020. Per Over the Cap, that makes him the seventh-highest-paid safety in the league by average annual value.

The two-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler had 111 tackles (75 solo), seven pass breakups and two interceptions in 15 games last year.

The Cardinals already made one monster move this offseason, releasing star wideout DeAndre Hopkins in a salary-cap decision that sees the team incur a $21 million dead cap hit in 2023 before clearing his deal off the books in 2024.

However, it appears the rebuilding Cardinals, who went 4-13 last year and now have a pair of new leaders in general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon, may be retaining Baker.

That would be a huge win for the Cardinals given how well Baker has played for them. He can be part of the solution to brighter days in Arizona after the team bottomed out in 2022 following a playoff appearance in 2021.

The 27-year-old has two years left on his current deal.