Not that long ago, promising athlete Budda Baker was part of the NFL 2017 draft event. The Arizona Cardinals drafted the Washington College graduate in the second round (36th overall). In fact, the Cardinals traded up with the Chicago Bears to bring in Baker. He was the fourth safety who was drafted that year.

The Cardinals got Baker to sign a $6.83 million contract rookie contract with $3.88 million in guarantees. Since then, the Bellevue-born lad has proven to be a great asset. In 36 starts over the last three seasons, Baker has defended 14 passes and caused four forced fumbles. However, he is yet to register an interception in the league.

The 2020 offseason has been all about NFL safeties. Jamal Adams, Earl Thomas, and Patrick Chung are some names that grabbed headlines recently. We can now add Baker to that list because he just became the top-paid safety in the NFL.

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The NFL has a new star safety in Arizona Cardinals’ Budda Baker

Earlier today, Baker put pen to paper on a four-year extension worth $59 million total ($33.1 million in guarantees). That makes him the new highest-paid safety in the big league. Previously, Chicago Bears’ Eddie Jackson was the top-paid safety. He earned around $14.6 million annually. Tennessee Titans’ Kevin Byard followed with $14.1 million per season. Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu and the Washington Redskins’ Landon Collins also have a spot on that list earning $14 million apiece.

Baker enters elite territory with this new-look deal. But there are some areas of his defensive game that he can improve. The youngster has plenty of time to up his stock and justify the new ‘highest-paid’ tag he has been given.

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Baker opens up on Arizona Cardinals’ prospects in 2020

In a recent interview, Baker seemed optimistic about Arizona’s chances heading into 2020. He said, “The energy is definitely live and in effect. Just being here with these guys during training camp, I’ve noticed how much better we have gotten. We made all these additions but none of it really matters if go out and don’t play well. It’s definitely exciting to see and we’re definitely focused on getting better every day and everything else will take care of itself.“

Budda Baker came in at number 97 on the recent NFL Top 100 list. His record-deal is a testament to his ability. Despite his slightly above average stats, the Cardinals have taken the risk of tying him down on a long-term extension. Surely, they must have seen something in the 24-year-old Washington College graduate.

With great power (and money), comes great responsibility. It will be interesting to see how he performs under this newfound pressure this season.

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