Joe Haden Released by Browns
The Cleveland Browns made a surprising move on Wednesday when they announced the release of Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Browns, who seem to have fully embraced their youth movement, tried trading the former Pro Bowler this week, and decided to release him when they didn’t get any offers.
The move was surprising because Haden, even though his play slipped last season, was one of the best players on the team. It would have been understandable if Haden was a salary cap casualty, but the Browns have a lot of cap space.
“We want to thank Joe for all he has done for this organization both on and off the field,” Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said. “He has been a great teammate and a true asset to the Cleveland community. These are very difficult decisions, we have the utmost respect for Joe and in my eyes, he will always be a Cleveland Brown.”
With the release coming 11 days before the season opener, Haden isn’t expected to be a free agent for very long.
According to ESPN, the Browns AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have already emerged as the front-runners to sign Haden.
The New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys have also expressed interest in signing the two-time Pro Bowl player.
“Tons of interest in him,” Haden’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “He will have a new deal with another team by tomorrow afternoon.”
Haden was due to be paid $11 million this season, and the Browns approached him about taking a pay cut. Haden refused the proposal and the team released him after they couldn’t find an interested party to trade with.
Haden, who was the Browns’ first round pick in 2010, has been dealing with injuries the past two seasons, which affected his play. He missed 11 games in 2015 because of a concussion and finger in jury, and three games last season because of a groin injury that required offseason surgery.