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After a 4-13 season in 2023, the Arizona Cardinals have turned the ship around slightly, posting a 7-7 record with three games remaining in 2024. And with this team facing three losses in their last four games, Budda Baker and the Cardinals found common ground on a new contract extension, per Ian Rapoport on X.
“The #AZCardinals and star S Budda Baker have reached a 3-year, $54M extension that includes $30M guaranteed,” Rapoport wrote.
After being drafted by the Cardinals in 2017, Baker has stayed put in Arizona for his entire career— a rare concept in the NFL. And now, following this three-year contract extension, the likelihood of him retiring with the Cardinals grows even more.
In the modern NFL, it's rare for players to stick with one team during their entire career, even if they truly want to stay put.
However, when a player has the choice of staying put in a subpar situation or going to a different team for more money, loyalty doesn't always hold as strong.
And considering some of these players only have so much time in the NFL before they must hang up the cleats, money usually speaks louder than loyalty.
Some fans might scoff at the idea, but not every player will respond the same when presented with millions of dollars extra to play on a different team.
There are some players who will take pay cuts to help their team, like Tom Brady, while other players will bounce around from team to team, chasing the best possible paychecks.
Another factor in this puzzle is that players don't get a heads-up before major injuries, like an ACL tear. Not many players can return to their pre-injury selves following something as serious as an ACL tear.
So, with that in mind, it's more understandable why some players are okay with moving all around the league, taking the highest bid each time their contract runs out.
However, for Baker, team loyalty appears to speak louder than the potential of a larger check elsewhere, as the Cardinals have inked their safety to the books until 2027.
