Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) against the Washington Commanders at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
Most Minnesota Vikings fans would not have the safety position anywhere near the top of the list for the team’s trade needs, but The Draft Network disagrees.
Minnesota conducted a low-risk trade for running back Cam Akers on Tuesday evening, sending a conditional 6th-Rounder to the Houston Texans for Akers and a conditional 7th-Round pick. And more deals could be on the way, with the trade deadline 20 days away.
And according to TDN’s Justin Melo, the Vikings could target Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker. The veteran defender is evidently on the trade block, and Melo assigned Minnesota as a possible landing spot.
“The 5-0 Minnesota Vikings join the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs as the remaining undefeated teams,” Melo wrote Tuesday. “Brian Flores has been an excellent defensive coordinator for the Vikings this season, but the pass defense has been a weakness. They’re currently allowing a 30th-ranked 263 passing yards per game.”
These are the Vikings’ safeties at the moment:
Adding Baker could also enhance Minnesota’s safety depth beyond 2024. Smith could retire after this season, and Bynum is scheduled to hit open free agency in March.
“The aging Harrison Smith is still competing at a high level,” Melo explained. “Camryn Bynum has developed into a starting-caliber safety opposite him, but acquiring a chess piece like Baker would allow Flores to deploy more three-safety sets. One of the most creative defensive minds in the entire league, Flores would understand how to utilize Baker’s skill set around the line of scrimmage to help his struggling back end.”
This is Baker’s Pro Football Focus resume through eight seasons:
Baker’s deal expires this season, so the financial workings would work wonderfully for any team. In fact, if the Vikings want him, they can also sign him outright in five months, with no trade capital necessary.
On the whole, the Vikings’ safety room is pretty well-stocked, and if any more trades are finagled in the next three weeks, they’d probably involve cornerback, wide receiver, interior offensive line, or interior defensive line depth.
However, because of Baker’s high-profile resume, no Vikings fan would be too upset about the TDN trade idea. Baker can ball.
He’ll turn 29 in January.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.