4 reasons the Steelers extending Joe Haden is the wrong move

How much would he cost the Steelers

This is the part of the Haden issue that I find most frustrating. Sure, if Haden was willing to take a reduced salary to stay with the team, signing him to a new deal would carry far less risk. People seem set on the idea that Haden will take the proverbial “hometown discount” to remain with the team. Haden won’t sign a contract that resets the market, but he certainly won’t be cheap either.

If I had to guess, Haden would want a deal that would pay him in the top ten for all cornerbacks. This means he would earn an average yearly salary of $14 million a season. While that isn’t a huge jump from his current salary of $11 million a season, he will be 33 or older for any year that he is on that deal. Unless he suffers no drop-off in play (something he didn’t do last year) then he would be overpaid on that deal.

While the Steelers will have a surplus of cap space next season, that doesn’t mean that they should be willing to overpay for Haden. Unless Haden took a steep discount with the expectation of only playing another year or so. I doubt Haden would be willing to do that.

What may make more sense is letting the market determine his value. If he enters the market and receives little to no interest, then him signing for less money would be logical. On the other hand, Haden will not get an extension that will pay him less per year.