The Green Bay Packers have already added one outstanding safety this offseason, but a trade proposal might bring in franchise All-Pro Budda Baker, giving them the NFL’s scariest secondary.
Baker had already requested a trade before the start of the 2023 season, but the Arizona Cardinals were able to retain him. However, with only one year remaining on Baker’s current contract, the Cardinals may try to trade him before he becomes a free agent.
Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report proposed several potential trades for the NFL’s top Super Bowl hopefuls. One of those trade scenarios featured the Packers making a move for Baker.
“The Packers can go a step further to field one of the best safety tandems in the league with the addition of Budda Baker,” Moton said in a statement. “Because of the modest market for safeties, Green Bay should be able to acquire Baker from the Arizona Cardinals with a late-round draft pick, even though he’s earned Pro Bowl nods in five consecutive terms.”
Budda Baker’s Fitness in Green Bay
This is not the first time Baker has been linked to the Packers, and while the defensive coaching staff has changed since last year, the move might still be a good fit for both teams.
Baker has enjoyed a lot of success with the Cardinals. At 28 years old, he has already made six Pro Bowl trips and three All-Pro honors, including two first-team accolades.
Despite signing Xavier McKinney to a four-year, $68 million contract, the Packers continue to have a significant need at safety. Outside of McKinney, the Packers are extremely thin at safety. The only other safeties on the roster are Anthony Johnson Jr., Benny Sapp III, Zayne Anderson, and Tyler Coyle.
Along with Baker’s wide-open starting job, the Packers have a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Hafley, a former Boston College head coach. Hafley is well-known for developing defensive backs during his tenure as an NFL DBs coach, and adding two outstanding safeties in McKinney and Baker might give Green Bay one of the league’s most terrifying defensive backfields.
Other Safety Options in Green Bay
If the Packers do not want to trade for a safety, they still have plenty of choices in free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
Former Denver Broncos standout Justin Simmons is still a free agent. Simmons, 30, has two Pro Bowl appearances and four second-team All-Pro accolades. Other potential free agents include Jordan Poyer, Eddie Jackson, and Quandre Diggs, but there is currently minimal activity in the free agent safety market.
The Packers might also look to the 2024 NFL Draft for another possible starter. The current consensus big board features some intriguing players, including Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin and Miami’s Kamren Kinchens.
There are other alternatives for the Packers to add another safety, but Baker’s honors and production make him one of the more intriguing candidates.
