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Budda Baker is bringing optimism for the 2025 NFL season despite past struggles for the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona hasn’t returned to the playoffs from the NFC bracket since the 2021 campaign. Their three consecutive seasons of not playing postseason football gives motivation for the current squad to prove doubters wrong, especially for Baker.
“I was drafted here, I know it was a different GM and a different coaching staff, but for me all I’ve been trying to do is do my job at a high level each and every day,” Baker said on The Mina Kimes Show this week. “Of course, I’m a sore loser, I hate losing, and my career with the Cardinals has kind of been more losing than winning.
“But for me it’s just stay ten toes down, you believe in what you believe in, and I believe in this coaching staff, I believe in these players that we brought in, free agency, draft, and very excited for the future.”
It’s a strong statement for Budda Baker to make about the Cardinals going into the 2025 season.
Baker proves that he is capable of helping Arizona be a threat with his talent. He played for the entire 2024 campaign as he made 164 tackles, five pass deflections, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
His efforts helped him make the most tackles of any season throughout his career. He earned his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl selection while landing on the NFL’s All-Pro second team.
The Cardinals finished 2024 with an 8-9 record. It was a significant improvement from the back-to-back 4-13 records they had in 2022 and 2023, but it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. They finished third in the NFC West Division standings behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
Arizona will hope to make that jump with quarterback Kyler Murray gaining more chemistry with James Connor, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride. Hopefully with Baker’s optimism, they can do just that.
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