Cardinals' Budda Baker requests trade, reports say
PHOENIX - Five-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker is reportedly unhappy and wants out of Arizona.
According to multiple reports, Baker has requested a trade from the Cardinals.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on April 14 that Baker wants to become the highest-paid safety in the NFL or be traded from the team.
Baker's reported trade request comes after he scrubbed mentions of the Cardinals from his social media accounts and posted a cryptic tweet.
"Love you cardinal fans!!!" Baker tweeted after reports of his apparent trade request surfaced on Friday.
Baker has played all six of his NFL seasons with the Cardinals after being drafted out of Washington in 2017.
Baker is reportedly not the only Cardinal who may make his way out of Arizona. According to a report, star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins could be traded during the offseason.
Hopkins missed the first six games last season due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension. He was traded to the Cardinals from the Houston Texans before the 2020 season.
Rough offseason for the Cardinals
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 06: Budda Baker #3 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts as he takes the field prior to an NFL Football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on November 06, 2022, in Glendale, Arizon (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The offseason has played out like a soap opera for the Cardinals, and Baker's reported trade request is just the latest chapter.
Shortly after the end of last season, the Cardinals fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury and announced general manager Steve Keim had left the team. They were replaced by Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort, respectively.
The Cardinals were also blasted in an NFL player survey on working conditions. In the survey, Arizona ranked 31st out of 32 teams for working conditions for athletes. They were given F grades for their weight and training facilities, nutrition, locker rooms and treatment of families.
Wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown was sentenced in connection with a criminal speeding arrest last year in north Phoenix. According to court documents, Brown was going 126 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone on the Loop 101. As part of his sentence, Brown was handed down a fine and given credit for jail time served.
The Cardinals' controversy also spread to the top of the organization after owner Michael Bidwill was accused by a former employee of cheating, discrimination, and harassment. Among the allegations, former front office executive Terry McDonough claims he and former head coach Steve Wilks were instructed by Bidwill to use burner phones to communicate with the team's then-general manager, Steve Keim, while he was serving a suspension following a DUI arrest.
The Cardinals released a statement denying McDonough's claims, saying in part that the allegations "are wildly false, reckless, and an opportunistic ploy for financial gain."