Joe Haden - Pro Football Rumors

Joe Haden Tests Positive For COVID-19

January 2nd, 2021 at 1:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers look to be without another key defender to start the playoffs. Joe Haden tested positive for COVID-19, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.

Already down Bud Dupree and Devin Bush for the season’s remainder, the Steelers now face the prospect of playing without their most proven cornerback to start the playoffs. Haden is out for Week 17 against the Browns and, due to the 10-day isolation period required after a positive coronavirus test, the 11th-year cornerback would not be able to return for the Steelers’ wild-card game.

Shortly after the Browns released Haden in 2017, the former first-round pick bounced back with the Steelers. He has signed two Pittsburgh contracts and returned to the Pro Bowl. Haden’s arrival helped key a Steelers late-2010s defensive resurgence, and the AFC North champions have relied on that unit this season. But the team will not be close to full strength defensively when it opens the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 3 or No. 2 seed next week.

Haden’s three-year Steelers extension runs through next season, though the 31-year-old defender’s cap number spikes from $9.6MM to $15.6MM in 2021. He has started 56 games since signing with the Steelers, including 14 this season. On 79 targets this season, Haden has allowed a 50.6 completion percentage; Pro Football Focus grades him 45th overall among corners.

In addition to Haden being out for a game the Steelers are not exactly going all-out to win, the team will sit T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Maurkice Pouncey. The Steelers declared Ben Roethlisberger out earlier this week.

Steelers CB Joe Haden Restructures Contract

March 16th, 2020 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers continue to turn to veterans to help them clear up some extra cap. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that Joe Haden has restructured his contract. Specifically, Haden guaranteed his salary all while opening up some extra breathing room for the front office.

This past season, the former first-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl nod since 2014. The veteran finished the campaign with 65 tackles, 17 passes defended, five interceptions, and one forced fumble. After spending seven seasons in Cleveland to start his career, Haden has seemingly found a home in Pittsburgh, where he’s spent the past three seasons.

Last September, Haden signed a new two-year, $22MM extension that would last through the 2021 campaign. The 30-year-old was set to have a $12.6MM cap hit next season.

Earlier this evening, we learned that the Steelers front office pulled off a similar move with veteran kicker Chris Boswell.

Contract Details: Tyreek Hill, Joe Haden

September 9th, 2019 at 9:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are some contract details on a pair of recently-signed extensions:

Tyreek Hill, WR (Chiefs): Three years, $54MM. Injury guarantee is $35.26MM. $18.34MM guaranteed as of tomorrow (via $5.8MM signing bonus, 2019 minimum base salary, 2020 minimum base salary, $11MM roster bonus (paid in 2020)). Cashflow includes $6.52MM (2019), $16.2MM (2020), $15.4MM (2021). Team has flexibility to go year-by-year, roster bonuses determined early in league year. Details via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com on Twitter.
Joe Haden, CB (Steelers): Two years, $22MM. $13.8MM signing bonus, dropping 2019 salary from $10MM to $1.2MM (with a $3MM roster bonus). Non-guaranteed $7MM via salary/bonuses for 2020 and 2021. Cap numbers: $8.772MM (2019), $12.6MM (2020), $12.6MM (2021). Details via ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Twitter.

AFC Notes: Glenn, Robinson, Haden, Harris

September 8th, 2019 at 1:34pm CST by cwcrouse

Bengals left tackle Cordy Glenn has been ruled out of the team’s Week 1 game, Ben Baby of ESPN.com relays. Back-up left tackle Andre Smith will take over duties and will face a fearsome defensive front in Seattle that includes newcomers Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney.

Here’s more from the AFC:

Jaguars LT Cam Robinson is not playing vs. the Chiefs but it’s not the knee that he recently had surgery on that’s keeping him out, as Phillip Heilman of The Athletic relays (Twitter links). Robinson’s right knee is now the issue.
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has details on Joe Haden‘s extension with the Steelers. The pact comes with a signing bonus of $13.8MM.
Don’t expect an extension for Broncos CB Chris Harris anytime soon. Troy Renck of ABC Denver (Twitter link) hears that an extension is not in the team’s plans right now, as John Elway & Co. will wait until the offseason to handle the matter.

Steelers, Joe Haden Agree To Extension

September 1st, 2019 at 7:36pm CST by Zachary Links

At long last, Joe Haden has agreed to a new deal with the Steelers. Haden’s brand new two-year extension will pay him $22MM and keep him under club control through the 2021 campaign (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

As a part of the deal, Haden will receive a $16.8MM signing bonus. For this year, he’ll earn his previously slated $10MM/year salary.

We’re still waiting on the specific breakdown of the pact, but it’ll likely lessen Haden’s cap hit in the near term, giving the Steelers some additional flexibility.

After missing time in 2018 with an injury, Haden returned to play 15 games last season. He graded out as a top-40 cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus – that’s a notch below his best Browns years, but the 30-year-old remains an upper-echelon cover man.

The Steelers added cornerbacks this offseason, signing Steven Nelson and drafting Justin Layne in Round 3. Meanwhile, they’ll move forward with disappointing 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns after cutting him an $800K bonus check in August.

Haden, meanwhile, has brought consistency as a boundary corner, something the Steelers have sorely lacked. His new deal is sizable for a 30-year-old, but it also makes plenty of sense for the Steelers.

Steelers, Joe Haden Making Progress

August 5th, 2019 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers and corner Joe Haden are making progress on a two-year contract extension, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The two sides have exchanged proposals, so a deal might not be far off.

For now, Haden is due $10MM as he enters the final year of his deal. A new pact would likely lessen Haden’s cap hit, while giving him security through the 2021 season.

After missing time in 2018 with an injury, Haden returned 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 added cornerbacks this offseason, signing Steven Nelson and drafting Justin Layne in Round 3. Meanwhile, they’ll move forward with disappointing 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns after cutting him an $800K bonus check over the 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, a new deal would make 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.

Steelers Notes: Colbert, Tomlin, Burns, Haden

July 27th, 2019 at 6:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers staved off questions about Mike Tomlin’s job status, at least temporarily, by giving him a one-year extension recently. They didn’t do the same for GM Kevin Colbert, and that was apparently at his request. Colbert told reporters at training camp today that “he’s not getting an extension because he wanted to go year-to-year based on ‘personal request’ to organization,” per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Fowler notes that Colbert is only under contract until May of 2020, and that the GM said his age could be a factor in whether or not he steps away. Colbert, 62, has been Pittsburgh’s front office head since 2010.

This is the first we’ve heard of any potential retirement for Colbert, so as Fowler points out, this is a “big development.” Steelers owner Art Rooney chimed in, saying “at this stage of the game, he’s really not looking to do any long-term planning,” per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We talked and we agreed he’d rather wait till after the season to talk about the contract.” Fowler noted in a follow-up tweet that Colbert indicated he could still be around for several more years, but he’s got “wiggle room” now. The Steelers have undergone a lot of change the last couple of years, and this would be another huge one.

Here’s more from Pittsburgh:

Tomlin’s job security has been a hot topic in recent years, and he’s one of the more polarizing coaches out there. He usually receives two-year extensions, so it was notable that this time around he only got one. When asked what he thought about that, Tomlin insisted it didn’t matter to him. “Nothing,” he told reporters, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. “I really don’t think a lot about it to be quite honest with you. I focus on the task at hand, and if you do that, contractual things take care of themselves.” Tomlin has been the coach since 2007, but he’ll be under intense pressure to win in 2019. If the Steelers struggle, his seat will start getting awfully hot.
Tomlin’s old contract had an option year that was triggered due to hitting a certain number of wins, Dulac tweets. A source told Dulac that Tomlin’s new recently signed contract doesn’t have any similar provisions.
The Steelers don’t only have to worry about the contract situation of their coach and general manager, some players need to be decided on as well. Pittsburgh didn’t pick up the fifth-year option on former first-round pick Artie Burns back in May, which led to a lot of speculation that he’d be cut. Burns was due an $800K roster bonus this weekend, so a decision was always going to have to be made right around now. Burns will in fact collect the $800K and he’ll be a member of the Steelers in 2019, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Burns hasn’t lived up to his draft status, but he did start six games last year and all 16 the year before that.
In the same tweet, La Canfora notes that the team is “working on extending” cornerback Joe Haden. Haden is entering the final year of the three-year, $27MM deal he signed after being released by the Browns back in 2017, and we heard a couple of days ago that the two sides had begun talking.

Steelers, Joe Haden Discussing Deal

July 25th, 2019 at 9:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

Extra Points: Haden, Giants, Bolts, Jaguars

June 16th, 2019 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

No extension discussions have commenced between Joe Haden and the Steelers, but that seems to be where this is headed. After a pre-draft report indicated a Haden re-up could be in the cards this year, the veteran cornerback said he wants to re-sign with the Steelers. Haden expects conversations to take place when or around the time the Steelers report for training camp July 25, with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac also anticipating extension talks at that point. Haden struggled with injuries and inconsistency at the end of his Browns tenure but has done well to stabilize one of the Steelers’ cornerback spots. Signing for three years and $27MM in 2017, Haden is going into his age-30 season. The Steelers, though, do not appear to have reservations about paying him for his early-30s seasons, per Dulac. Due largely to being an old-CBA first-rounder, Haden has earned more than $100MM in his career.

Let’s look at where some other teams stand exiting minicamp week:

After two years either marred by injuries or featuring constraints by his role, Mike Williams expects his usage rate to spike in 2019. The Chargers are thinner at wide receiver but have their 2017 first-round pick set to pick up the slack after Tyrell Williams‘ departure. “My role is going to expand with Tyrell leaving. I’m looking forward to that,” Williams said, via Chargers.com. “I feel I’m going to get a lot more opportunities than I did last year.” Williams saw the third-most snaps among Bolts wideouts last year (732, more than 100 fewer than Tyrell Williams) but still caught 10 touchdown passes (after not scoring as a rookie).
The Jaguars will not see their full receiving corps available for a while. Marqise Lee missed all of last season and is not expected to return until nearly the end of training camp, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com notes. Lee led the 2016 Jaguars in receiving and posted 702 yards in 2017, but a severe knee injury wiped out his 2018 slate. He joins Chris Conley, Dede Westbrook and 2018 second-rounder D.J. Chark in a receiving corps that brings questions about the cogs’ roles.
An injury spoiled Jon Halapio‘s first season as the Giants‘ center starter, but it appears he stands to return to the role he held before going down last September. The former sixth-round pick started two games last season but saw the bulk of the first-team reps during Big Blue’s offseason work, with Pat Shurmur indicating (via the New York Post’s Jared Schwartz) the sixth-year blocker is back at 100%. Spencer Pulley graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 26 center last season; he mixed in with the Giants’ first-stringers this offseason.

Steelers’ Joe Haden Wants Extension

June 12th, 2019 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have yet to open extension talks with Joe Haden, but the cornerback seems eager to get things underway. The 30-year-old says he’s ready to start discussing a new deal and wants to ultimately retire as a member of the Steelers (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com).

After a long run with the division-rival Browns, Haden inked a three-year deal with the Steelers just prior to the 2017 season. That deal has one more year and $10MM remaining.

Over the years, the Steelers have struggled to address the cornerback position through the draft, but Haden has provided valuable support in the secondary. Haden has started every game that he has played in with the Steelers, and he has reestablished himself as a shutdown cover corner despite drawing the No. 1 WR on opposing offenses. This year, the Steelers will pair Haden with former Chief Steven Nelson, who signed a lucrative free agent deal with Pittsburgh in March.

The Steelers also have youngsters Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton, plus rookie Justin Layne, but none of those players offer the resume of Haden, a multiple-time Pro Bowler.