The heart and soul of the Arizona Cardinals defense is staying in town.
On Tuesday evening, the Cardinals agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract extension with safety Budda Baker, who was set to become a free agent after this season. The extension includes $30 million in guaranteed money.
The Cardinals have now avoided free agency with their two highest-profile free agents-to-be. Last month, they agreed to a two-year deal with running back James Conner, a crucial leader of their offense. Now, they’ve done the same with a leader of their defense.
“He’s a competitor,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said recently. “The ultimate competitor.”
Since being drafted by Arizona in the second round in 2017, Baker has been named a first-team All-Pro twice, a second-team All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler six times. Last year, he missed five games with a hamstring injury and did not make his typical impact but was still named to the Pro Bowl.
This season, that should be a certainty — as the bare minimum. Baker ranks second in the NFL with 142 tackles and has been just as good by more advanced metrics.
He has a 76.7 grade this season from the analytics site Pro Football Focus, the best mark of his career and top 10 among starting safeties. He’s been excellent in coverage and recorded two sacks and 10 pressures as a pass rusher. His best work, though, has come in the run game, with a career-high nine tackles for loss.
“He has this unbelievable ability to play like a bullet,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said Tuesday. “Not everyone has the ability to just shoot their gun and go get a ball-carrier down or shoot through a blocker or avoid a blocker. Or the way he can feel space. …
“His brain leads him to a lot of plays. Knowing our stuff really well and knowing what they do really well, but he also has this play speed that you can’t really teach.”
By average annual value, Baker’s contract makes him the NFL’s fourth-highest paid safety, behind Antoine Winfield, Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick. By total value, it ranks seventh at the position. The deal keeps him in Arizona through his age-31 season in 2027.
“It’s been awesome for me,” Baker said in training camp when asked whether he wanted to remain with the Cardinals. “I love Arizona, I love Arizona fans, and I’ll continue to play to the best of my ability and that will be at a high level each and every year. So, of course.”
The Cardinals’ highest-profile impeding free agents now include linebacker Kyzir White, kicker Matt Prater and left guard Evan Brown. The team also must figure out whether to re-sign right guard Will Hernandez and edge rusher Dennis Gardeck, both out with season-ending knee injuries but expected to be ready for the 2025 season.
Beyond that group, a handful of members of the defensive line rotation — namely L.J. Collier, Roy Lopez, Naquan Jones and Jesse Luketa — are set to hit free agency.
None of the Cardinals’ remaining free agents, though, carry Baker’s impact. He is the player opposing offenses scheme around. He is the player whose voice commands the attention of a locker room. And now, he’s three years closer to being a Cardinal for life.
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