Joe Haden is expected to draw interest from a number of teams after he was released by the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday morning, and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be at or near the top of the list.
ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that the Steelers are showing “strong interest” in Haden, and Adam Schefter has labeled them the favorite to land the veteran cornerback.
Sounds like the #Steelers are showing strong interest in Joe Haden now, based on messages to my phone.
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 30, 2017
Steelers are the favorite to land former Browns CB Joe Haden.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2017
A number of factors could come into play for Haden in deciding who he wants to play for. For starters, he is going to make $4 million guaranteed in 2017 no matter what happens. If he signs a contract with more guaranteed money, the Browns are off the hook. If he signs for less than $4 million guaranteed, Cleveland would have to pay the difference.
What does that mean? Haden, 28, can sign for the veteran minimum and still make $4 million. Since he has done nothing but lose in his first seven NFL seasons, he might decide to sign with a contender for cheap and worry about signing a bigger contract next offseason.
The Steelers reached the AFC Championship Game last season, so they certainly qualify as a contender. They also need some veteran help, as their two starting cornerbacks could also wind up being rookie Cameron Sutton and second-year man Artie Burns. While we have already heard of some other teams being interested in Haden, he makes sense for Pittsburgh at the right price.
