After an excellent NFL career, All-Pro cornerback Joe Haden is signing a one-day contract with the Cleveland Browns to retire.
For 12 seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Haden was among the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Now, he has retired.
On Wednesday, Haden announced that he would sign a one-day contract with Cleveland, allowing him to retire with the organization that drafted him out of the University of Florida back in 2010.
Haden shared a video splicing together his career highlights, interweaving slides sharing the following message throughout:
“Dear football, I’ll always love you, but it’s time for me to say goodbye. Thank you for everything — Joe”
Haden played five years with the Steelers after leaving the Browns prior to 2017, the season where Cleveland went 0-16. While wearing black and gold, Haden recorded nine picks. Haden had more than double that while wearing orange, with 20 interceptions. Haden finishes his career with over 600 tackles and over 150 pass deflections with two defensive touchdowns.
Joe Haden retires as a member of the Cleveland Browns after more than ten years in the NFL
Before his pro days, Haden was a star athlete at the University of Florida under Urban Meyer — yes, that Urban Meyer. From 2007-2009, Haden starred for the Gators, including a stellar performance against Oklahoma in the 2008 BCS National Championship game.
In 2009, the Gators made it again to the SEC Championship, where they fell short against Alabama. Haden concluded his college career as a junior by earning a first-team All-SEC selection and a Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati.
Following his college career, Haden was taken 14th overall by Cleveland and went on to be a bright spot on a consistently underperforming team. Haden would make two Pro Bowls in Cleveland before leaving and making another Pro Bowl with Pittsburgh in 2019. Haden would make his first postseason appearance in 2017 when Pittsburgh was upset by Jacksonville in the divisional round.
A testament to how revered Haden has been in the NFL, famous cornerbacks around the league, including Jalen Ramsey, Richard Sherman and Darius Slay commended him on an illustrious career.
Congratulations to Joe Haden on a long and prosperous career, and here’s wishing him a blissful and happy retirement.
