Here is an end zone look of the second to last play that helped the #AZCardinals secure the win. Jalen Thompson had a hand in there and Budda Baker’s hit forced the football loose.
It’s the motor and violence that Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis preach. pic.twitter.com/JmZspsE6Jg
— Zach Gershman (@ZachAZCards) September 8, 2025
In his ninth season in the NFL, former Washington Huskies star safety Budda Baker is still delivering hits no different from when he was a young, rising rookie for the Arizona Cardinals.
Baker, a four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, made three tackles on the final drive Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and broke up a third-down pass attempt from Spencer Rattler with nine seconds remaining to seal a 20-13 victory for the Cardinals in week one.
The former second-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft finished with a game-high 10 total tackles (5 solo) to go along with one tackle for loss and one pass breakup in the season-opening win, the fifth time in his career Baker has boasted double-digit tackles in Week One.
Similar to his college days at UW from 2014-16, Baker was one of five Arizona defenders to play all 75 snaps against New Orleans and boasted the highest tackle grade among Cardinals defenders by Pro Football Focus with an 85.5 grade in the narrow victory.
When viewed amongst all safeties in Week One, Baker grades out as the fourth-highest graded tackler and No. 10 in coverage with a 76.5 grade by PFF, one of just five safeties in the top ten that didn’t have a missed tackle — a clear sign the 29-year-old is still on his game patrolling the Arizona secondary.
Baker signed a three-year extension with the Cardinals last December that will keep the Bellevue, Washington native with the team through the 2027 season. At the time of his signing, Baker‘s $18 million per year average made it the third-largest contract for a safety in NFL history, which could lead the ex-Husky to finish his entire career with Arizona if he chooses to do so.