Steelers, cornerback Joe Haden agree to 2-year contract extension
A week before their self-imposed deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers took care of their biggest — and perhaps only remaining — priority regarding locking up a player with a contract extension.
Cornerback Joe Haden and the team agreed on a two-year, $22 million extension, a league source confirmed Sunday evening. Haden is entering his third season with the team since being signed to a three-year, $27 million deal in late August 2017.
The new deal, which technically is a three-year contract, including 2019, includes a $16.8 million signing bonus.
Haden, who turned 30 in April, has made the Pro Bowl twice over his previous nine NFL seasons, the first seven of which came with the Cleveland Browns. He has three interceptions, a forced fumble and 19 passes defensed in 26 games for the Steelers.
Haden has 22 interceptions in his career. He helped stabilize a position that long has haunted the Steelers, who have had trouble drafting and developing cornerbacks over the past decade-plus. Haden also immediately fit well in the Steelers’ locker room and is a respected leader among his teammates.
Joe Haden's second INT as a Steeler
Haden had 16 interceptions over his first 52 NFL games https://t.co/nOqdhXAjsj
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 28, 2018
Haden did not play this preseason after suffering a foot injury during a training-camp practice early last month. The injury is not serious, however. Haden even said last week that he would be playing if it was the regular season.
With Haden signed, the only possible extension candidates remaining for the Steelers are outside linebacker Bud Dupree and three members of the 2016 draft class: Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave.
Dupree is playing out his fifth-year contract option, and Burns has lost his starting job. There has been no known serious negotiations between the Steelers and either Davis or Hargrave.
The Steelers, per club policy, do not negotiate contracts during the regular season. The Steelers open Sept. 8 at the New England Patriots.
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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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