The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a disappointing 8-9 season. Their away record left a lot to be desired, as they won only two out of the eight games on the road. The Cardinals improved from their back-to-back 4-13 records but missed out on the playoffs for the third time in a row.
The Cardinals added Walter Nolen III, Will Johnson and Jordan Burch among others in the 2025 NFL Draft. Kelvin Beachum, Aaron Brewer and Calais Campbell add experience to the roster. The franchise has multiple names they can count on for the 2025 season, including Trey McBride, Budda Baker and Kyler Murray.
Budda Baker Named Cardinals’ Best Player Heading Into 2025 Season
The Cardinals certainly have a number of candidates for the best player tag, and it did put PFSN’s Jacon Infante in a spot as well. In his “Every NFL Team’s Best Player” article, Infante was about to pick the Cardinals’ 25-year-old TE as the franchise’s face. However, it was the veteran safety Budda Baker who made the cut.
“I came extremely close to putting Trey McBride here, as he was one of the top tight ends in the NFL after tallying 111 receptions in 2024,” Infante wrote. “That said, the consistency of Budda Baker’s elite play for the Arizona Cardinals deserves recognition here.
“Baker is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro who has proven himself as one of the top safeties in the league for quite some time. His versatility as a tackler and in coverage makes him an extremely valuable asset in Arizona’s defensive secondary.”
Baker recorded 95 solo tackles last season, only behind Jamien Sherwood (98). He also charted five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one sack. He has been a consistent presence on the gridiron for the Cardinals, playing 122 games in eight seasons.
Budda Baker (3) finished 2nd in 2024 across the entire league in tackles for loss + tackles for no gain
So here’s several clips of him playing like a velociraptor & making those tackles
— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) May 29, 2025
The 29-year-old broke the ceiling and accumulated a career-best 164 total tackles, going past the 900-mark in the process. The Cardinals ranked 27th on PFSN’s Defense+ metric last season, and Baker seemed to be the only positive.
On Dec. 17, 2024, Budda Baker signed a three-year, $54 million extension with the Cardinals. He wanted to move out of Arizona in April 2023, but the Cardinals were quick to guarantee his $13.1 million base salary in July to make him stay. His new deal has an average annual value of $18 million, which makes him the sixth-highest-paid Safety in the NFL.
The Cardinals identified their defensive flaws and added Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, and Dalvin Tomlinson to the roster. The franchise hopes to make a deep run into the postseason with a stacked and more experienced defense while Kyler Murray takes care of the offense.
