The Arizona Cardinals made the decision to place their star safety, Budda Baker, on injured reserve on Monday. This move followed his hamstring injury sustained during Friday's practice.
As a result of this injury, Baker was unable to play in Sunday's game, which saw the Cardinals lose to the New York Giants, despite initially holding a 20-0 halftime lead.
Coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed that Baker will be sidelined for a period but expressed confidence in his return, stating, "Yeah, he's gonna miss some time, but he'll be back... So, put him on IR today, but, he'll get ready to go here pretty soon and be ready to roll."
Gannon clarified that Baker's hamstring was not torn.
It's worth noting that Baker had held out of OTAs and minicamp earlier this year after his requests for a trade or a new contract in April went unanswered. However, he did receive additional compensation during training camp, including a $300,000 bonus in August and the opportunity to earn up to $2.4 million in bonuses and incentives for this season. His contract also included a roster bonus of $11,764 for each game he was active, with a maximum potential payout of $200,000.
Baker had signed a four-year contract in 2020 valued at $59 million, and he remains under contract through the 2024 season. His base salary of $13.1 million for this season is fully guaranteed.