Art Baber

Art Baber

"Babs" hauls in a Taylor Rodriguez pass during the 2021 season.
No. 81     Retired
Wide Receiver
Personal information
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight: 201 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school: Boaz High School, Boaz, AL
College: Auburn
NFL Draft: 2015 / Round: 5 / Pick: 128
Debuted in 2015 for the Atlanta Falcons
Career history
Atlanta Falcons (2015 - 2018) Tennessee Titans (2019) New York Giants (2020 - 2021) Arizona Cardinals (2021 - 2022)
Roster status: Retired
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl III Champion 2x NFC Special Teams POTW
Career NFL statistics
Receptions 264 Yards 3,756 Touchdowns 24

Art Baber, commonly referred to as "Babs", is an American football wide receiver who retired after the 2022 season. He played college football at Auburn. The Atlanta Falcons selected him with the 128th overall pick in the 2015 NFLHC Draft.

Early Years

Baber was born in Boaz, Alabama. He attended Boaz High School.

College Career

Baber was the #1 WR for the Auburn Tigers in his junior and senior season. The Tigers went 7-6 in 2013 winning the Heart of Dallas Bowl but struggled in 2014 having their worst season in school history at 2-10. He played alongside wide receivers Cotton Lewis and Patrick Burke.

College Statistics

NCAA Collegiate Career statistics
Auburn Tigers
Season	Receiving
	GP	GS	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
2013	13	13	68	917	13.5	8
2014	12	12	57	725	12.7	6
NCAA Career Totals	25	25	125	1,642	13.1	14

Professional Career

Pre-draft

Baber was not invited to the scouting combine, just missing the cut.

Draft

Baber was selected in the 5th round of the 2015 NFLHC Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons

Baber spent his rookie contract with the Atlanta Falcons and contributed in his four seasons. He was the leading receiver for the Falcons as a rookie but took a reduced role after the Falcons traded for Super Bowl II MVP Riddick Smith. Baber played a role in the Falcon's Super Bowl win in 2016, catching 3 passes for 44 yards. He was given a two year extension but was placed on the trade block in 2017 but was unable to find a trade partner. The Falcons decided to not sign him to another extension.

Tennessee Titans

As a free agent, Baber signed a 1-year, $11M deal with the Tennessee Titans who had cap space to burn in the 2019 offseason. He also received initial interest from the Cowboys and Chiefs and heavy interest from the Redskins. Early injuries to Tommy Furrey and Cap Christian forced Baber into the #1 role for the Titans. The Titans had a disastrous season finishing 1-15. Baber signed a 2 year, $8 million deal with the Titans during the season but the Titans decided to move on.

New York Giants

Prior to the start of the 2020 season, the Titans traded Baber, DT David Lee, and OG Tony Glover to the New York Giants, in exchange for FS Alex Collins, CB Allen Foster, OG James Redd, and a 5th round selection in the upcoming 2020 NFLHC Draft. The Giants released Baber halfway through the 2021 season, citing poor performance at the announcing press conference.

Arizona Cardinals

Baber was not out of work long, being signed by the Arizona Cardinals during the midseason of 2021, a week after his departure from New York. He became somewhat of a cult hero for a few weeks as he was a major boost to the offense and helped propel the Cardinals to a win over the Seahawks in Seattle, and it was here in Arizona where he would earn his affectionate "Babs" nickname, but he tragically suffered a season ending Achilles injury roughly a month into his Cardinals tenure. Baber returned for the 2022 season in a limited role and decided to call it a career after 8 seasons in the league.

Professional Statistics

Year Team Games Starts Rushing Receiving Player Rating Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD 2015 ATL 14 14 0 0 0 0 56 926 16.54 9 74 2016 ATL 12 12 0 0 0 0 26 435 16.73 3 77 2017 ATL 16 16 0 0 0 0 36 491 13.64 2 82 2018 ATL 16 16 0 0 0 0 22 321 14.59 1 83 2019 TEN 16 16 0 0 0 0 58 778 13.41 5 85 2020 NYG 16 16 0 0 0 0 43 519 12.07 1 84 2021 NYG/ARI 10 10 0 0 0 0 12 162 13.50 2 81 2022 ARI 16 16 0 0 0 0 11 124 11.27 1 79 Career 116 116 0 0 0 0 264 3,756 14.23 24

Contract History Year Team Contract Year Contract Information Notes Years Total Guaranteed Non-Guaranteed 2015 ATL 1st 2 3 0.75 0.75 Drafted 2016 ATL 2nd 0.75 0.75 2017 ATL 1st 2 4 1.3 1.3 Extension Front-loaded 2018 ATL 2nd 0.7 0.7 2019 TEN 1st 1 11 5.5 5.5 FA 2020 NYG 1st 2 8 2 2 Extension 2021 NYG/ARI 2nd 2 2 2022 ARI 1st 2 1.5 0.75 0 Extension Career 8 26.75 13.75 13

Injury History
Year	Team	Injury Information		Notes
		Games Missed	Type
2025	ATL	0	N/A
2016	ATL	0	N/A
2017	ATL	0	N/A
2018	ATL	0	N/A
2019	TEN	0	N/A
2020	NYG	0	N/A
2021	NYG/ARI	6	Severe Concussion Severe Achilles Rupture
2022	ARI	0	N/A
Career		6

Chirp Off the Old Block Trophy

Prior to the Week 7, 2022 UCLA-Colorado game, Baber, for being a fan favorite Arizona "Chirpy Birds" Cardinals player, was bestowed with the honor of "Chancellor of Chirp", the presenting figure of the newfound Cardinals Front Office Collegiate rivalry between the Bruins with coach Cultur3, and the Buffaloes with coach paperllamasunited. Babs would present the inaugural Chirp Off the Old Block Trophy at the end of the Week 7 tilt in Pasadena.