Budda Baker of Bellevue, Washington has become the highest-paid safety in National Football League history according to Rogers Sportsnet. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old signed a four-year-contract with the Arizona Cardinals, of which $33.1 million was guaranteed.
Baker led the National Football League with 104 solo tackles in 2019. In 16 games, he had six pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, half a sack, 147 combined tackles, 43 assisted tackles, seven tackles for a loss, and two quarterback hits. Baker was also selected to his second career Pro Bowl. He was also chosen during his rookie season in 2017.
However even though Baker led the NFL in tackles this past year, that does not always mean it is a good thing. When a player records 104 solo tackles in a season, that means he is on the football field a lot. As football fans know, the less time defenses are on the football field for a particular team, the better the team.
The Cardinals were last in the NFC West last season with a record of five wins, 10 losses and one tie. They also gave up 442 points, the fourth most in the conference. Only the Carolina Panthers (470 points), New York Giants (451 points) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (449 points) gave up more than Arizona.
In 46 career regular season games, Baker has 14 pass deflections, four forced fumbles for 34 yards, one touchdown, three and a half sacks, 323 combined tackles (240 solo tackles and 83 assisted tackles), 18 tackles for a loss, and seven quarterback hits. Baker played his university career with the University of Washington before being the Cardinals second round pick, 36th overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft.
