Budda Baker Contract Extension

Budda Baker, the heartbeat of the Arizona Cardinals’ defense, continues to solidify his place as one of the league's premier safeties. A seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, Baker’s leadership and versatility have made him indispensable to the Cardinals since his arrival in 2017. This past season, Baker recorded 164 total tackles (95 solo), 2.0 sacks, five passes defensed, and one forced fumble.

Terms of the Deal

Baker signed a 3-year/$54M extension that will keep him under contract through the 2027 season. 2024 was the last year under his old contract, so this extension will kick in for the 2025 season. Baker’s new AAV is $18M, which ranks 4th amongst safeties.

Guarantees/Incentives

This extension includes a $12.245M signing bonus, $17.441M guaranteed at signing, and $29.366M guaranteed. The $17.441M guaranteed at signing includes his $12.245M signing bonus, 2024 P5 salary ($2.37M), and $2.83M of his 2025 P5 salary.

The $2.37M guarantee of his 2024 P5 was essentially a formality since there’s about a 0% chance Baker would have been released before the end of the 2024 season. That covers the remaining weeks of play for this season.

$4.17M of his 2025 P5 fully guarantees on 3/16/2025 (injury guaranteed at signing)

$7.755M of his 2026 P5 fully guarantees on 3/16/2025 (injury guaranteed at signing)

Starting in 2026:

- Per-game active roster bonus of $15,000 ($255,000)

- Offseason workout bonus of $500,000 ($1.5M)

2026 roster bonus: $1M (5th league day of 2026)

2027 roster bonus: $1M (5th league day of 2027)

Cap Breakdown

The only change to Baker's 2024 cap hit comes from the new contract signing bonus proration. The $12.245M signing bonus is prorated over the remaining years Baker is under contract (four). His cap hit takes a huge dip in 2025 to about $10.8M, which is less than teammate Jalen Thompsons cap hit of $13.74M. The cap hits jump back up to the $19M - $20M range in the last two years of the contract due to the increase in P5 salary. If the Cardinals were to release Baker after the 2026 season, the dead cap hit would only be $3.06M.

Cap Flow (Rank amongst S)

- 2024: $22.08M (1st)
- 2025: $10.81M (11th)
- 2026: $19.23M (8th)
- 2027: $20.89M (4th)

Cash Breakdown

About 32% of Bakers’ contract ($17.44M) was fully guaranteed at signing. It’s important to note that Baker has no guarantees in the 2027 season. His $16.075M 2027 P5 is about 30% of the new money tied into this extension.

Cash Flow (Rank amongst S)

- 2024: $26.84M (1st)
- 2025: $7.75M (13th)
- 2026: $16.17M (5th)
- 2027: $17.83M (2nd)

Contract Table

Market Comparison

Derwin James - Chargers

James signed a 4-year/$76.53M extension with the Chargers during the 2022 offseason. Arguably the best safety in the league, Derwin James is the cornerstone of the Charger’s defense. In 2024 (regular season), James recorded 93 total tackles (60 solo), 5.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, and one interception. At the time of signing, this contract made him the highest-paid safety in the league with an AAV of $19.13M (now ranks 2nd). $38.58M was guaranteed at signing, totaling 50% of the contract value, higher than Baker’s 32%. Heading into the last two years of his contract, Baker will eat up about 8.5% of the Charger’s total cap space. Both Baker and James have roster bonuses built into their extensions. The major difference between the two is that Derwin James had a $12M option bonus in 2023, which was prorated over the remaining 4 years of his contract.

Minkah Fitzpatrick - Steelers

Fitzpatrick signed a 4-year/$73.61M extension with the Steelers during the 2022 offseason. In 2024 (regular season), Fitzpatrick recorded 96 total tackles (62 solo), one forced fumble, five passes defensed, and one interception. At the time of signing, this extension made Fitzpatrick the highest-paid safety in the league with an AAV of $18.4M (now ranks 3rd). He didn’t hold that spot for very long, as it was only two months later that Derwin James signed his new contract. In Minkahs contract, $36M was guaranteed at signing, totaling 48% of the contract value. This is a very straightforward contract, as there aren’t any incentives, workout/roster bonuses, etc., built into the deal. In 2023, Pittsburgh converted $13.42M of his 2023 P5 into a signing bonus, adding $3.35M to his cap hit for the last four years of his contract. 2023 was the last year where Fitzpatrick had guarantees built into this deal.

Xavier McKinney - Packers

McKinney signed a 4-year/$67M extension with the Packers during the 2024 offseason. In 2024 (regular season), McKinney recorded 88 total tackles (60 solo), 1.0 sacks, one pass defensed, and eight interceptions. McKinney’s contract has an AAV of $16.75M, which makes him the 5th highest-paid safety in the league, just behind Baker. In this extension, $23M was guaranteed at signing (all signing bonus), totaling 34% of the contract value. The signing bonus was the only portion of the contract that was guaranteed. However, McKinney has sizable roster bonuses that are due on the third league day for the next two seasons. If he earns both, McKinney will earn a massive $17M payout in the form of roster bonuses. There’s another $1.5M roster bonus for 2027, a $250,000 LTBE (made the 2024 Pro Bowl) Pro Bowl incentive for 2025, and a per-game active bonus for every year of the contract ($200K per season).

Jessie Bates III - Falcons

Bates signed a 4-year/$64.02M deal with the Falcons during the 2023 offseason. This past season, Bates recorded 102 total tackles (62 solo), 1.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, four interceptions, and ten passes defensed. His deal included an $18M signing bonus and $36M guaranteed at signing, totaling 56% of the contract value. Bates's contract has an AAV of $16M, making him the 6th highest-paid safety in the league. Going into the last two years of the deal, 2024 was the last year in which Bates had guarantees. He’s due a $1M roster bonus if he’s still on the team on the fifth league day of 2026.

Final Thoughts

This is likely the last big extension that Baker will receive, as he’ll be 32 years old when this contract expires. However, this is a nice deal for Baker. He got about 32% of his contract fully guaranteed at signing, which is a decent number, and he will likely earn his roster/workout bonuses this upcoming season, which would give him an extra $755,000. The only real downside to this contract for Baker is that there are no guarantees in the final two seasons of the deal. If Baker would be designated as a post-June 1st release after the 2025 season, the Cardinals would save around $16M in cap space.