Yes, you read that correctly. 12-year veteran Joe Haden remains unsigned as he’s still a free agent. The Steelers elected not to give Haden an extension when he entered the last year of his contract. The former all-pro played his previous five seasons in Pittsburgh, signing a three-year $27MM deal in summer 2017 and a two-year $22.4MM extension in 2019. Now that the draft has long passed us fans, one must wonder where Haden will go?
At age 33, he will be playing for his 13th season, but for a new team potentially. He has contract offers, according to Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed. However, he would likely like to have a long-term contract rather than a 1-year deal. Statistically speaking, Joe Haden wasn’t playing up to his level last season, as he was ranked outside the top 60 cornerbacks in the NFL.
The team has re-signed Ahkello Witherspoon and has signed Levi Wallace from the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Despite Haden being unsigned, some players over thirty years old have been signed to teams. Examples like Kyle Fuller signing a 1-year deal worth $2.5 million with the Baltimore Ravens. Patrick Peterson re-signed on a 1-year deal worth $4 million with the Minnesota Vikings. All-Pro and Super Bowl champ Stephon Gilmore, who’s a year younger than Haden, signed a 2-year deal worth $23 million with the Indianapolis Colts.
What are Haden’s options?
One team that comes to mind that may need help at cornerback is the New England Patriots. The Patriots lost All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson in free agency, as he signed with the LA Chargers. The top two corners they have are Jalen Mills and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler. A relatively thin team at cornerback is the New York Giants, a team that just cut James Bradberry and now plays for divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles. We don’t know what teams have offered contracts to Joe Haden, but these are just assumptions that make sense. The NFL season kicks off on September 8th, and I’m hopeful that Joe Haden will be signed to a team by then.
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