The Eagles are having an extraordinary offseason that just hit another level yesterday. But one thing that seems to be carrying over from last season is the culture of the franchise.
When Greedy Williams signed with the Eagles, he mentioned that he wanted to play for Nick Sirianni. Sirianni had an impact on Greedy Williams during a joint practice between the Eagles and the Browns. He saw Nick Sirianni talk up a player on the sidelines and that sold Williams enough to come to Philly on a prove-it deal.
Nick Sirianni has had an interesting path in Philadelphia. While the team has had success on the field, he’s been praised for his behind-the-scenes antics. From the gardening concept to his shooting competitions, Sirianni is one of the up-and-coming coaches that have truly surprised everyone.
Now it seems like his footprints are being tracked by another player on the other side of the country. Cardinals Safety Budda Baker has recently requested a trade. The Eagles have been the team that is most linked to him due to the loss of C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
With Jonathan Gannon being in Arizona now, this may be a move that is likely to happen but nothing is guaranteed. One thing that is guaranteed is that Budda Baker wants to play for a coach like Nick Sirianni. Baker can fill in a huge need at Safety for the Eagles. Baker finished last season with 111 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 7 passes deflected in 15 games with Cardinals last season.
Eagles, Baker, meant to be?
Before the Super Bowl, Budda Baker appeared on Kay Adams’ show, Up & Adams, to talk about his 2022 season and the Cardinals’ future. When asked about what qualities he wants in a head coach, Baker had this to say,
“I like real. Just be real. You know, whatever that is. Just be yourself. Don’t be anything else, don’t be anything different. You don’t have to try and put up any type of front with anybody. Be who you are. Whether that’s, you know, a loud mouth or a quite more, you know, humble’ish type of person so. Just be whoever you are and then we’ll go from there.”
He continued and dropped a bomb that is now circulating the web after his recent trade request. He went on to say, “Something that I really like is that Eagles coach. Um, he’s who he is.” As Kay Adams mentioned Nick Sirianni by name, Baker continued and said, “Exactly. Just seeing that. It’s definitely special as a player.”
Baker’s praise for Sirianni is bound to spark rumors of the Eagles being in the mix for him. With Jalen Hurts’ contract being settled now, trading for and extending a player like Budda Baker is very possible. The NFL Draft is only several days away so expect a lot of smoke from now until then.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
