Joe Haden has sought a Steelers extension for a bit now, and the rumors of these talks being likely to take place once the team reported for training camp were accurate. Haden and the Steelers are discussing an extension, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
The 10th-year cornerback confirmed (via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and Steelers GM Kevin Colbert are talking re-up terms. Haden is entering the final season of the three-year, $27MM deal he signed just before the 2017 season.
Pittsburgh added multiple pieces to its cornerback equation this offseason, signing Steven Nelson and drafting Justin Layne in Round 3. The team also has to decide whether or not to pay disappointing 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns an $800K bonus this weekend.
Haden has operated as the team’s No. 1 cornerback since arriving. The Steelers have not enjoyed much consistency aside from Haden at the boundary corner positions for a while, so talking a new deal makes sense. While the corner market has not moved much at the top in recent years, lesser-acclaimed DBs have signed for $10MM-plus since Haden last put pen to paper. The $9MM-AAV defender will almost certainly target eight figures per year for his early-30s contract.
After missing time in 2018 with an injury, Haden retured to play 15 games last season. He graded as a top-40 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. That is a cut below his best Browns seasons, but the 30-year-old defender remains an upper-echelon cover man.
The Steelers are terrible at drafting corners, they need Haden to play forever.
They should sign him to a long term extension and give his home address to Rodney Harrison.
Haden’s been very good and the only sure thing in that secondary. They need to get the extension done.
Risky. 10-year corners aren’t ideal for extension. Shows how brutal the secondary situation is in PIT, but- this would be a deserved reward for his past contributions.