ESPN analyst sends two mega-stars to Eagles with blockbuster trade idea
There’s no way the Eagles land Budda Baker and DeAndre Hopkins in a trade, right?
We are days away from the NFL Draft. The rumor mill has been churning wildly. The Philadelphia Eagles have been mentioned as potential trade partners with the Tennessee Titans for Derrick Henry. That one led to nothing, but the discussions didn’t stop there. They were rumored to be a surprise landing spot for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and then, we turned on Sportscenter.
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky threw out a theory about who he thinks the Birds should pursue. In it, he named both Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and safety Budda Baker.
Don’t take our word for it. Check out his explanation here. Thank ESPN and SportsCenter for the clip.Like the Inside The Iggles YouTube page and tap the notifications bell while you’re there.
Look, if money wasn’t an issue, any Eagles fan would take both of those guys on this team without any hesitation, but this isn’t Fantasy football or the franchise mode on EA’s Madden NFL. Money is an issue, so it stands to reason that it would be a little complicated if not impossible to get them here.
The explanation for wanting to add them, however, is an easy one to articulate. Here’s why we would do it. Here’s why it’s tricky.
The Pros of the Eagles acquiring DeAndre Hopkins and Budda Baker.
Opposing defenses already had a tough enough time last year defending both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Can you imagine how tough the task would be if DeAndre Hopkins was added?
Philly is home to one of the game’s most athletic quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts. Their tight end, Dallas Goedert, is another playmaker for the offense. This unit would elevate to supernova levels with Hopkins’ addition.
DeAndre catches whatever you throw his way. He isn’t known to drop a lot of passes. He thrives as a deep threat and is a savvy route-runner.
On the defensive side of the ball, some feel Philly is still looking for someone who can thrive as a replacement for C. J. Gardner-Johnson. For as good as C.J. played last season, Budda Baker would be an upgrade at the position.
He’s been on the best safeties in the game since he entered the league in 2017, but he has been disappointed by playing on some losing teams. At times, at no fault of his own, he has flown under the radar as a result.
In six NFL seasons, he has developed a reputation as one of the game’s hardest-hitting safety while accumulating 468 tackles, 7.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries (including one that he returned for a touchdown), and seven interceptions.
The negative aspects of an Eagles trade that would acquire DeAndre Hopkins and Budda Baker all come down to one factor, money.
Philadelphia’s biggest challenge to making these moves is an obvious one. Acquiring Hopkins and Baker would place some red ink on the financial ledger.
DeAndre’s 2023 cap hit is 30.8 Million. His base salary this year is $19.45 million. Baker is owed 13.1 million this season, and he’s looking for a new deal.
The word is Budda wants to be the highest-paid safety in the league, and that might be a dealbreaker for Philly. Yeah… it’s going to be hard if not impossible for Philly to dish out that type of money for two stars.
On top of all of that, Philly is going to have to ink DeVonta Smith to a second contract soon, so yes, it would be nice to add the former Clemson wideout. A.J., DeVonta, and DeAndre would make for an unstoppable trio. Who wouldn’t want the man formerly known as ‘Nuke’ on the roster? It isn’t going to happen though.
Another negative with Hopkins is he has been marred by injury and has not played a full NFL season since the 2020 campaign. He has been injured and has also been suspended.
Acquiring Baker feels like the most realistic trade that would happen between the two, but even that seems impossible. Hey, we have seen Howie Roseman wave the magic wand before, but this one might be a little tricky for the game’s top executive.
We like Dan Orlovsky and all. It’s hard to corroborate what he’s saying here though.
