The Steelers were surprisingly gifted cornerback Joe Haden midway through the preseason two years ago when he was released by the Browns.
A former Pro Bowl cornerback, Haden has been everything the team expected when it signed him to a three-year, $27-million contract after his release by Cleveland. Now, the Steelers face the tough decision about what to do with Haden moving forward.
Haden, 30, is entering the final season of his contract, which will pay him a $10 million base salary in 2019. And the Steelers are interested in signing him to an extension that could possibly lower his $11.9-million salary-cap hit.
But Haden's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told me nothing is happening at this time on the new contract front. Given that July is now upon us, that means nothing is likely to happen with a new contract for Haden until training camp opens July 25.
Part of the issue for the Steelers is they have so little cap space with which to maneuver. Currently, they have just under $985,000 in available cap space.
Also compounding the issue is that three-fifths of their starting secondary is all represented by Rosenhaus. Free safety Sean Davis and nickel corner Mike Hilton are also represented by Rosenhaus. And like Haden, Davis is heading into the final season of his contract, while Hilton has declined to sign his one-year $645,00 exclusive-rights tender because he would like a long-term deal.
The Steelers can hardly talk new contract with Haden without the others knowing what is going on. And that could lead to some hard feelings.
"I'm not worried about it," Hilton told me of his contract situation on the final day of the team's minicamp last month. "It will take care of itself. All I can do is continue to come to work each day and let my agent handle all of that."
Hilton told me he intends to report to training camp and won't hold out, but to set foot on the practice field at Saint Vincent College, he'll need to sign his contract. He could do so in good faith the Steelers will give him a long-term deal, but to do that, the team will have to find a way to create more salary cap space.
One way for that to happen could be a long-term deal with Haden that lowers his 2019 cap hit. See the issue?
So what might a new deal for Haden look like?
The Steelers could easily lower his $11.9-million cap hit, which is the 11th-highest among cornerbacks, with an extension that would pay him, between $2 and $3 million at a cap savings of $7 to $8 million. The rest of his 2019 money could then be spread out in signing bonus over the length of his new deal.
Haden's current deal with the team averaged $9 million per season, which ranks 22nd among NFL corners. The top-10 corners' salaries average $12.5 million per season and up, with the Dolphins' Xavien Howard topping the position at an average of just over $15 million per year.
The question the Steelers must ask themselves is if they feel Haden will continue to play at a high level moving forward. Working in his favor is the fact he's a strong locker room presence and has the ball skills that could possibly transition to free safety as he ages.
But because Rosenhaus also represents Davis, broaching that subject with the agent could be tricky.
Haden also has missed six games in two seasons with the Steelers — five in 2017 because of a broken bone in his leg and one last season because of a hamstring injury. That comes on the heels of back-to-back seasons in Cleveland where he missed 14 combined games because of injuries.
One thing we do know is that Haden wants to finish his career with the Steelers. He likes Pittsburgh and immediately stepped into a leadership role in the team's locker room.
"I think we have a really good team, a talented team,” Haden told me. “The more we are together, the better we are going to be, especially for the defense. I think we are going to be solid.”
LOLLEY'S VIEW
The negotiations for Haden should be straight forward. And they would be if not for the situations with Hilton and Davis, as well.
Again, because Rosenhaus represents all three, it makes it tough to talk to one and not the others without someone coming away with hurt feelings. And things like that can upset the apple cart in the locker room.
The guess here is the Steelers get a new deal completed with Haden, sign Hilton to, say, a three-year deal for $7.5 million and allow Davis to play things out.
The team also has an $800,000 roster bonus due to Artie Burns at the start of training camp. That $800,000 already counts against the cap, but will the team want to pay out nearly $1 million to a player whose fifth-year option it chose to not pick up and isn't guaranteed to make this team?
There are a lot of moving parts here. One thing we know for sure is the Steelers don't negotiate new deals once the season starts. So if these issues aren't resolved by the end of the preseason, it could make for an interesting year.
