NFL Trade Rumors: Cardinals fans left in shambles after Budda Baker’s cryptic social media stunt

Published Apr 14, 2023 17:51 GMT

Budda Baker made a cryptic change to his social media profile that has Arizona Cardinals' fans upset.

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker mysteriously removed the "AZ" for Arizona from his Twitter profile. He then continued with the cryptic message by Tweeting the infamous Michael Jordan crying memes.

Now it has Arizona Cardinals fans up in arms about what that could signal next. Whether he has asked for a trade or the Cardinals or pondering the idea on their own are also circumstances that could be happening behind closed doors.

While removing the current city and team from a Twitter bio has been done by other athletes before, there doesn't seem to be any context surrounding Baker's reason for doing so. There has been speculation that the Cardinals' safety was interested in a possible contract extension and based on this, it appears that he may not be close to getting one.

But Arizona Cardinals fans are uneasy no matter the reasoning, with many declaring that the team will be 'done' if they lose Baker. Even with some suggesting that he is the best player on the team and they will have nothing left if he leaves or he refuses to play for the team. Some even suggested that other NFL teams that should acquire the safety to help improve their defense.

As these types of situations typically pan out, there should be some type of announcement, whether official or through social media, that should give this more clarity.

How long has Budda Baker played in the NFL?

The Arizona Cardinals drafted safety Budda Baker in the second round of the 2107 NFL Draft after he played his collegiate career at the University of Washington. He initially signed a four-year deal worth $6.83 million with a guaranteed $3.88 million.

In August 2020, the safety signed a four-year contract extension worth $59 million. With that contract extension, he then became the highest-paid safety in the National Football League ever.

In the six years he has played for the Arizona Cardinals, he has started 83 games, playing in a total of 93 NFL games. He has 650 combined tackles, 468 solo tackles, 7.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and seven interceptions.

Budda Baker is a five-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2020. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2021. If he does hit the trade block, he will be a highly sought-after safety for other teams in the National Football League and could bring back quite a return in a trade as well.

About the author

Bethany Cohen is an NFL writer at Sportskeeda, with a rich prior 15-year experience in the sports writing industry, primarily covering the MLB and MiLB. She majored in Communications from the University of South Florida and has previously worked for top companies such as Examiner.com and Legends on Deck.

Bethany owes her NFL allegiance to the Pittsburgh Steelers owing to their long-standing tradition and competitiveness. She is a fan of old stalwarts such as Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and would love to watch them in the 1970s if she manages to get her hand on a time machine. She also acknowledges the greatness of modern icons like T.J. Watt for his desire to continuously improve despite being on top. She admires coaches Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid for their longevity and success.

The ace reporter credits her knowledge and love for the sport to be her biggest reporting strengths. Prior fact-checking is a big component of her process and she always scours through additional sources to ensure complete accuracy in her content.

Super Bowl XLIII, when the Steelers won the the grand prize after Santonio Holmes’ epic catch in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock is etched in Bethany’s memory forever. When she is free of her professional commitments, she likes to attend sports events and music concerts.

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