I'd rather not reduce my defensive leaders value down to a black and white statistical relationship.
We're paying $18m per year to a safety that has a 110 career passer rating allowed, allows 73% of passes where he is the cover man to be caught and has 7 career interceptions in 8 seasons, because he's a great tackler and has leadership qualities. Both things that are not hard to find in the NFL.
What is hard to find is safeties that can cover and are a threat to the ball. Those are the safeties that get paid.
The top 5 highest paid safeties outside Budda,
Jessie Bates - 84 passer rating allowed, 63% comp rate, 23 career interceptions in 7 seasons.
Xavier McKinney - 69 passer rating allowed, 67% comp rate, 16 career interceptions in 5 seasons
Minkah Fitzpatrick - 81 passer rating, 62% comp rate, 19 career interceptions in 9 seasons
Derwin James - 81 passer rating, 66% comp rate, 9 career interceptions 5.5 seasons
Antoine Winfield - 116 passer rating, 71% comp rate, 7 interceptions in 5 seasons
I just discovered Winfield is also massively overpaid, but him aside you can see the trend. Ballhawk safeties get paid.
You know who the next leading tackler is behind Budda at safety? Nick Cross from Indy. Someone I'm sure you never heard of.
I love Budda, he's a great downhill player, one of the best in the league. That's just not worth close to $18m per year.