Arizona Cardinals superstar Budda Baker is reported to have requested a trade away from the franchise who are facing an uncertain off-season.
Baker is one of the better players at the safety position in the NFL, but has been tired with the team's lack of success in recent years and, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, has lodged a request seeking a move away from the Cardinals.
It comes just weeks after the star safety openly criticised the team for their 2022 season, when they finished with a disappointing 4-13 record and fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury who has since been replaced by Jonathan Gannon in his first head coaching role.
Baker spoke on record about how the team's preparation to build on their impressive 2021 season - where they reached the Play-Offs with an 11-5 record - had been poor, and he felt it paved the way for a woeful following campaign.
He told NFL.com: "I definitely felt like we were on the right path. You know in training camp it was definitely startling to not see a lot of the starters practicing and stuff like that.
"Cause I knew, you know especially with the pre-season games none of us played in the pre-season, it’s kinda just going through training camp, which was not a lot of people, and then we get to Week 1, it showed who was prepared.
"I don’t think we were as prepared in the beginning of when it all started than what we could’ve been."
Baker has been an emotional leader for the Cardinals ever since he was drafted in the second round from Washington in 2017.
After a loss to rival Seattle Seahawks last season, Baker was recorded berating his teammates after a loss. In a recorded clip, he shouted at his teammates saying: "We need to step the f*** up, all of us! All of us! Work harder, recover, watch more film... I am tired of losing! It hurts my heart!".
NFL Network's National Insider Ian Rapoport backed reports that Baker had handed in a trade request, before the player went on to remove all things Arizona Cardinals from his social media.
Baker has just two years left on his contract, and might have asked for an extension with the team. But with the Cardinals looking like they're set to rebuild their roster, they may look to move on from Baker prior to this month's NFL Draft - potentially acquiring draft capital in exchange for his services.
Baker will be expected to have a big market, having been ranked as one of the best safeties in the league since 2018, while the Cardinals are also thought to be prepared to entertain offers for teams looking to trade up to the third overall pick they currently hold and would consider offers for star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
