Joe Haden also facing likelihood that Monday is final home game with Steelers
He’s a 30-something multi-time Pro Bowl honoree who’s recognized across the NFL and identified as a veteran, respected leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And many signs point Monday night being the final game he plays for the organization at Heinz Field.
Ben Roethlisberger? Yep. But he’s not the only one.
“Knowing at the end of the day that I am going to be a free agent after the year,” Joe Haden said, “I am thinking about it.”
A 12-year veteran cornerback who’s the Steelers’ second-oldest player, the 32-year-old Haden is in the final year of his second contract with the Steelers. He has spent the past five years with the team after playing his first seven with the rival Cleveland Browns.
Spending so much time with the Browns meant Haden did not appear in a playoff game until he was in his eighth season. He’s appeared in two with the Steelers, who need to win their final two games and hope for help to qualify for the playoffs.
A surprise cut at the end of Cleveland’s 2017 training camp, Haden since has signed a pair of three-year contracts with the Steelers — in August 2017 and two years later (negating the final year of the original deal). After an apparent lack of interest from the Steelers in negotiating another extension this summer, Haden’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said Haden would test free agency after the season.
That, of course, doesn’t guarantee Haden won’t come back to Pittsburgh, particularly after the secondary struggled when he missed four recent games because of a foot injury. But Haden realizes Monday might be it for him in black-in-gold at Heinz Field.
“You know, I try to stay, like ‘Coach T’ says, singularly focused,” Haden said. “We’re not mathematically eliminated. We still kind of control our own destiny, so what we can do and control is win these last two games and hopefully we can get into the playoffs. That’s my biggest goal, just trying to end it the right way, try to finish this season and finish strong.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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