Life without Cleveland Browns star cornerback Joe Haden is a sight that no fan ever wants to encounter. Since Haden was drafted in 2010, he has erupted as one of the best defenders in all of football.
Haden, 27, was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. The organization had high expectations for the number 7 pick and truly hoped he would turn out to be a great defender; and did. A two time Pro Bowl cornerback that has 16 career interceptions, 4 force fumbles, 329 tackles, and 89 passes defended, is an athlete no team ever wants to lose.
In a recent Pro Football Focus article, writer Eric Eager listed his Top 5 worst cornerback contracts and Joe Haden topped the list. Eager gave his reasoning and some financial statistics.
Even before 2015, Haden’s play had always been a rung or two below his reputation. In 2015, this dynamic magnified, with Haden finishing with a 32.2 overall grade before his season ended prematurely with a concussion. He allowed a near-perfect 158.2 passer rating into his coverage last season, surrendering an average of 4.8 receptions, 77.4 yards, and 0.8 touchdowns per game in his five outings. He missed more tackles (five) in 290 snaps last season than he did in 1,044 snaps in 2014.
Even if we erase from our memory his disastrous 2015 season, one would assume that Haden’s past production would come close to warranting his current deal. The 29th-, 12th-, 20th-, ninth-, and sixth-highest graded cornerback going back from 2014 to 2010, respectively, Haden’s deal is easily among the top five at the position going into the 2016 season. With $20.1 million in dead money left on the contract, the now analytically-minded Browns need to hope for a return to at least his 2013 form to obtain commensurate value from Haden, an outcome made even less likely by the fact that his offseason ankle surgery leaves his availability for opening day in doubt.
Eager went on and talked about how many years are still left in Haden’s contract and how much the average remaining cap hit would be.
Years Remaining on Deal: 4
Average Remaining Cap Hit: $13.28 million
Haden is an absolute fantastic athlete, when healthy. In 2015, Haden missed the majority of the season with a concussion. Restructuring a contract is always a possibility and Haden has seemed loyal thus far in his career with the Browns.
If he wants the Browns to continue to support him for years to come, he needs to continue to stay healthy and be successful on the football field.
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