Budda Baker
The New England Patriots are urged to call the Arizona Cardinals about a "worthwhile" trade for an eight-time Pro Bowler.
The New England Patriots need a splash move or two if they are going to be anything more than one and done as the team to beat in the AFC, so calling the Arizona Cardinals about a “worthwhile” trade for an eight-time Pro Bowler who would instantly add some star power at a position that could get depleted during 2026 NFL free agency.
It’s a would-be deal involving All-Pro safety Budda Baker in a scenario outlined by Diante Lee of The Ringer. Lee pointed out Baker’s “30 years old and counts for $19 million against the cap for a team that looks like it is starting a multiyear rebuild.”
A rebuild isn’t on the cards for the team that lost in Super Bowl LX, but getting better at safety could become a priority. Especially if last season’s breakout find Jaylinn Hawkins opts to cash in during this veteran market.
Replacing Hawkins with Baker would be a blockbuster way for the Pats to turn a negative into a positive. General manager Eliot Wolf would likely be unable to resist when Baker can be had for a relative bargain.
Patriots Can’t Ignore Budda Baker’s Situation and Price
Lee explained Baker has “a base salary of $14 million this season and just $1 million in bonuses set to trigger at the start of the league year, Baker is a worthwhile investment for any defense that feels it’s one or two pieces away from contending. The Patriots and 49ers should be calling to gauge Arizona’s asking price, and if it’s a third-round pick or a pair of fourth-rounders, Baker is probably worth it.”
Those figures are comfortably manageable for a Pats team projected by Spotrac.com to have as much as $35,261,699 worth of space under the salary cap. Acquiring Baker would be a smart way to deploy some of those funds when he’s still one of the more capable multi-faceted defensive backs in the NFL.
Baker’s coverage skills may be slightly on the wane, but he still allowed a mere 14 receptions last season, as well as breaking up 47 passes, per Pro Football Focus. Those are solid numbers, but Baker’s enduring ability to generate pressure may appeal more to the Patriots.
He recorded eight pressures and a sack on 39 pass-rush snaps in 2025. Again, his numbers were down on a struggling Cardinals team, but this takedown of Aaron Rodgers against the New York Jets from the previous season is an ample demonstration of Baker’s big-play potential on the blitz.
Baker’s blitz skills would be more effective in the creative pressure schemes that became the calling card of Patriots defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr throughout the playoffs. Kuhr would also find ingenious ways to take full advantage of Baker being versatile enough to play both safety spots, in the slot and even at the linebacker level.
Putting a roving disruptor like Baker at Kuhr’s disposal would expand the playbook in more ways than simply reuniting with Hawkins.
Jaylinn Hawkins an Asset, but Not Irreplaceable
The development of Hawkins into an opportunistic presence on the back end was one of the many pleasant surprises for the Patriots last season. His rise from hidden gem with unfulfilled potential to the team leader in interceptions with four was also vindication of Wolf and head coach Mike Vrabel spending big in free agency to beef up the defense.
While No. 21 emerged as a true ball hawk with plays like this one-handed theft against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, big-money signings Milton Williams and Harold Landry III bossed offenses up front.
The Pats more than got their money’s worth from last offseason’s spending spree, so a repeat of chasing defensive star power can work again. Baker is still a star, but Hawkins played himself into getting paid like one. If the Patriots don’t want to pay up, then sacrificing a mid-round pick or two in the 2026 NFL draft for Baker would make sense.
He’d offer more range in an aggressive scheme than Hawkins, while Baker would also be the ideal mentor for second-year safety Craig Woodson, last year’s fourth-rounder who has his own potential for stardom.