Arizona Cardinals safety, one of the best and most popular players on the team, made waves this past week when multiple outlets reported he has requested to be traded.
What is the reason?
Behind it all is the desire to get a new contract.
He approached the team for an extension with two years remaining on his current contract, seeking to be the highest-paid safety again.
The Cardinals apparently either said no or to wait and he requested to be traded.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Scores of NFL players have done this.
For Baker, like most NFL players, this is about the balance between two things — winning and security.
Football is a job and players have a finite amount of time to maximize their earnings.
Players are fierce competitors, too, so winning matters.
We know Baker wants to win badly.
Recall that postgame speech by Baker after a loss on Hard Knocks? Baker takes losing hard.
But security can balance out a situation where winning is hard.
Think of it this way:
Baker sees that the Cardinals are rebuilding and doesn’t love the idea of playing his prime while the team takes its lumps, especially with no guarantees left in his current deal.
It is much more palatable to deal with the struggles and to be the leader and face of the team when the team is showing you the financial respect you feel you warrant.
Did Larry Fitzgerald complain about the Cardinals and his situation? No, because he was consistently paid.
Ideally, Baker wants both security and winning.
Right now, it doesn’t look like he has either. Yes, he is due a solid salary over the next two seasons, but they aren’t guaranteed.
Without either, this is what he has chosen to do to try and get, at least, one or the other.
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