The Detroit Lions are taking a break before training camp starts up in late July, but the football takes are still firing off at a normal rate. Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport offered up a very interesting one recently. One that would have the Lions adding an All-Pro player to their defense and spending a lot to do it.
Davenport suggests that the Lions call up the Cardinals and offer them 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick for safety Budda Baker. Here's his thought process on the move:
"If there's one area where the Lions could use a major boost, it's safety. Brian Branch is a rising young nickelback, but safeties Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Brandon Joseph are average talents at best."
While I disagree with Davenport on the average talent comment, he may be onto something with the addition of Baker. It would certainly give the Lions some real fire power at the safety position and it could allow Branch to stay at nickel where he was very good in his rookie season.
Baker is one of the leagues best safeties, but he's probably not super stoked about being in Arizona where he's played one playoff game in seven seasons. He's already requested a trade in the recent past, but the Cardinals were able to hold onto him. Baker is going into the final year of his deal and there's good reason to believe that he will be seeking a new deal elsewhere in 2025. Here's the Cardinals chance to get something out of losing him.
But a second-round pick might be a bit too much. Baker is still very good and was Pro Bowler in 2023. He's also still in his 20's. But this would be the most that anyone has traded for a safety since 2020 when the Seahawks traded multiple first-round picks to the Jets for Jamal Adams. A move that did not work out for them.
Would Brad Holmes offer that much? It's really hard to see that as a possibility from a guy that's not really traded or players a lot and hasn't offered up more than a late round pick to do so. On the other hand, this is Super Bowl winning type move and the Holmes has noted recently that there could come a time when he would make moves similar to his former boss Les Snead of the Los Angeles Rams. Is that time right now?
Perhaps the Lions would be able to work out a deal that's a little more friendly to the, since they have a connection in Arizona right now. Cardinals assistant GM Dave Sears was previously a part of the Lions front office with Holmes
In terms of whether or not the Lions could pay Baker and extension, there's no question that they could do that. They currently have the third most available cap space in the league and they'll have quite a bit available in 2025 as well. Plus as we've seen this offseason, the safety market is shifting and the position is possibly about to become more affordable.
Still, it's hard to see the team doing this right now. The Lions are currently expected to move Brian Branch back to safety and pair him up with Kerby Joseph while Ifeatu Melifonwu and Brandon Joseph rotate in and out. That's not a bad group at all. The addition of superstars is probably going to have to wait.
