Budda Baker getting paid

[HGC]

Good young player who’s entering the prime of his career. Most teams would have signed him to an extension.

 

[Redsz]

He is a good box safety. He is over paid today but won't be over the length of the contract when others reset the market.

 

[Syracusecards]

So @Ouchie-Z-Clown , @cheesebeef , @Shane and all the others saying it is too much - what do you think he is worth?

I’d be good with 9M per year max. Or just draft a safety next year. Safeties picked in the first or second round usually have a pretty high percentage success rate

 

[Ronin]

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[MadCardDisease]

This is a gamble. TJ is right about the timing with next year’s cap being a concern. At some point a GM has to look at his young players and decide which ones are part of the future. Too often last season Baker was asked to cover huge tight ends which impacted his play making potential. I think SK looked at his potential and decided he had a very high upside if better focused. I posted earlier the increased importance of a solid secondary. PP is aging and the rest of the secondary is unproven. You have to anchor the unit with someone, Baker was the most logical choice. They may have slightly overpaid but he’s young. He can play diverse systems. He has significantly improved his game in his time at AZ. I think it’s a reasonable decision.

I agree with Harry.

Plus you have to factor in he has played for 3 different DCs in the 3 years he has been in the NFL. The last two years he was on defenses that were devoid of talent forcing him into a lot of bad situations. Yet he never complained and just went out and balled each and every game the best he could with what was around him.

In 2018 he had to play for the worst DC in Arizona Cardinals history (Al Holcomb). That guy was in way over his head but also had very little to work with. It was a total disaster from start to finish.

In 2019 the defense lacked talent and depth at several positions on the field. The defensive backfield was in bad shape where PP was suspended, DJ Swearinger was a major liability before being let go and multiple rookies were forced to start. Not an ideal situation. Yet again Budda made Lemons into Lemonade and had a pro bowl season.

 

[dscher]

Lotta money to pay for a box safety who was 32nd in pass success rate last season.

And here's the rub.. in a league that will be even more reliant on the passing game we over pay for one of the worst. I've been a well known Budda critic...but this just wreaks of desperation because we have zero ability to build depth. *cough keim *cough. But I'll keep an open mind.

 

[Chopper0080]

I’d be good with 9M per year max. Or just draft a safety next year. Safeties picked in the first or second round usually have a pretty high percentage success rate

9M gets you Adrian Amos. And a 1st or 2nd round pick next year prevents you from drafting a CB and/or a pass rusher and/or an OL AND wastes a year of Kyler's team friendly deal.

Come on dude...

 

[Chopper0080]

For those who are really struggling with these numbers.

This is a 4 year ext totaling 59 mil. Add that to his current deal of 2.17 (this year's salary) and you get 5 years totaling 61.17 mil which averages 12.23 mil per year over 5 years.

 

[Chopper0080]

And here's the rub.. in a league that will be even more reliant on the passing game we over pay for one of the worst. I've been a well known Budda critic...but this just wreaks of desperation because we have zero ability to build depth. *cough keim *cough. But I'll keep an open mind.

If Jalen Thompson becomes league average...(which I feel is very likely) we will have Baker and Thompson as our Ss through 2022. One will cost a lot (don't know the breakdown yet) and the other very little. Most football people acknowledge that continuity in a secondary is almost as important as actual skill. This will be the first season that Baker will not have had to learn a new defensive scheme. It will be the second year where he will have the same S he ended the previous year with. I don't see what people are so worked up about. This dude was a top 15 S last year playing in his 3rd defensive system in three NFL seasons.

 

[kerouac9]

I think Budda is going to have a monster year.

Having Simmons and Jalen is going to free him up to do what he does best.

Tackle ballcarriers 6 yards down the field?

 

[Chopper0080]

Tackle ballcarriers 6 yards down the field?

As long as it is on 3 and 8 I am good with that.

 

[dscher]

If Jalen Thompson becomes league average...(which I feel is very likely) we will have Baker and Thompson as our Ss through 2022. One will cost a lot (don't know the breakdown yet) and the other very little. Most football people acknowledge that continuity in a secondary is almost as important as actual skill. This will be the first season that Baker will not have had to learn a new defensive scheme. It will be the second year where he will have the same S he ended the previous year with. I don't see what people are so worked up about. This dude was a top 15 S last year playing in his 3rd defensive system in three NFL seasons.

I don't disagree with your take here.. I just think with that kind of money, he doesn't have the awareness/speed/reaction time that justify the contract. Hope he proves all the naysayers, like myself, wrong though.

 

[Chopper0080]

Here is one last thing...people say Budda is not Troy and/or Ed Reed and I agree with that. But, you know what Troy and Ed Reed didn't have to do, learn three defensive schemes in their first three years as a pro. It is much easier to make plays when you aren't having to think about where you need to be and what you need to do.

 

[BigRedRage]

I agree with Harry.

Plus you have to factor in he has played for 3 different DCs in the 3 years he has been in the NFL. The last two years he was on defenses that were devoid of talent forcing him into a lot of bad situations. Yet he never complained and just went out and balled each and every game the best he could with what was around him.

In 2018 he had to play for the worst DC in Arizona Cardinals history (Al Holcomb). That guy was in way over his head but also had very little to work with. It was a total disaster from start to finish.

In 2019 the defense lacked talent and depth at several positions on the field. The defensive backfield was in bad shape where PP was suspended, DJ Swearinger was a major liability before being let go and multiple rookies were forced to start. Not an ideal situation. Yet again Budda made Lemons into Lemonade and had a pro bowl season.

5/5

 

[MadCardDisease]

Tackle ballcarriers 6 yards down the field?

I think you mean for a 6 yard loss?

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[BigRedRage]

Tackle ballcarriers 6 yards down the field?

smh k9, smh

 

[Dr. Jones]

Well, everything except pick off a pass. Even a single pass. Just interception. Over multiple seasons. Nope. Not one. So apparently this far he’s incapable of that at the NFL level.

This is how NFL contracts work.

As Budda was on the last year of his contract, you have to either accept that you will base contract on your franchise tag on him or risk losing him in free agency.

The franchise tag would have been 13.64 million this year and 16.37 million next year or 30 million guaranteed over 2 years. This is before anyone else signs an extension and raises those figures.

Now the Cardinals have a happy defensive player on the rise and the franchise tag available next year if Peterson has a great year.

Although surprised with this knowing that DHop and Pat are closer, I do believe Keim made a statement with this signing.

I do see both my the sides posted above but am willing to side with the long term play of us controlling him for 6 more years. That runs past Kylers next contract and allows us to let this contract grow from the #1 deal to probably a 10 to 15 level deal when it hits years 4 or 5.

My main argument is would Budda have brought us Jamal Adams. Based on what the Jets got from Seattle, that answer is no, but at roughly 2mm more per year, he would be a much better value and much more impactful long term IMO.

If we couldn't get that....... This deal looks like a value if he continues to improve. Heck, he may even tackle a ball carrier at the LOS or intercept a pass or two. Who knows.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I think that is too much for what he offers but on a more enjoyable smirk, since athletes judge their importance by contract numbers... suck on that Tyrann Mathieu

 

[daves]

Budda is fine, but overpaying him when the Cards have real pro bowlers with contract issues to resolve doesn't make much sense to me.

In case you forgot, Baker is a "real" 2x-Pro Bowler, 1x first-team All Pro, and now voted to the NFL Top 100 Players list.

...dbs

 

[Rain Man]

Haven't read comments I'm sorry for that man I've been crazy buzy.

Ya glad to hear one of the main 3 needed to be dealt with. So who gets tag now?

 

[oaken1]

Overpaid

but at least the guarantees are low
Adds a lot of flexibility in the future for restructuring or trades

 

[AZ Native]

I just hope he doesn't become another HB. That would be cool and a good signing.

 

[Syracusecards]

9M gets you Adrian Amos. And a 1st or 2nd round pick next year prevents you from drafting a CB and/or a pass rusher and/or an OL AND wastes a year of Kyler's team friendly deal.

Come on dude...

The franchise tag would pay him 11.5 million this year. We are paying him well over that and he hasn’t done enough to earn that yet. I would’ve offered him 9 million per year with incentives up to 11. If he’s not good with that, let him play this year out and slap the franchise tag on him if he really proves his worth. then you still have him for less than 14, million per year and can renegotiate if he really does look like a future all pro.

By the way, I could see Simmons becoming our safety in the next year or two with the way he can diagnose plays and his range all over the field.

You guys are acting like all of us debating this think Buddha Baker is terrible and that is not the case. We just don’t think he is worth nearly as much money as he being paid. there are only a couple safeties I can think of that are worth the money he is being paid and they are way better than him.

 

[Jetstream Green]

If Jalen Thompson becomes league average...(which I feel is very likely) we will have Baker and Thompson as our Ss through 2022. One will cost a lot (don't know the breakdown yet) and the other very little. Most football people acknowledge that continuity in a secondary is almost as important as actual skill. This will be the first season that Baker will not have had to learn a new defensive scheme. It will be the second year where he will have the same S he ended the previous year with. I don't see what people are so worked up about. This dude was a top 15 S last year playing in his 3rd defensive system in three NFL seasons.

I think he was overpaid but not even close to the point of being upset or freaked out. This is pro sports and the market prices will keep escalating and when you hit on a guy you reward him. I will say this, even to myself, when Budda was miked up for the Seahawk game... afterwards there was one or more guys going up to him and showing him huge respect and that's the perspective we should embrace

 

[Dayman]

https://es.pn/34yMhJh

Budda allowed a passer rating of 115 last year.