5 free agents that could give Bears new life in the New Year
By Ryan Heckman
3. Budda Baker, S
Another in-house move the Bears should make this offseason is to cut safety Eddie Jackson. The Bears' secondary could be a strength all-around if they did this and replaced him with a viable option. They would also save almost $13 million by cutting Jackson.
The best free agent safety next year is, without a doubt, Cardinals standout Budda Baker. Arizona is headed for a rebuild, and might even move on from Kyler Murray. Baker has wanted a new contract for a while now, and the Cardinals haven't given it to him.
In a nutshell, he deserves a big, new deal. He is one of the best all-around safeties in football and, at almost 28 years old, he is in the middle of his prime. Baker is a 5-time Pro Bowler and a 2-time All Pro, having totaled 723 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 34 passes defensed, seven interceptions, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in almost seven full seasons.
If the Bears added Baker to their secondary of Jaylon Johnson (assuming they re-sign him), Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon, that would give them one of the best secondaries in the game today.