The Cleveland Browns signed cornerback Joe Haden to a five-year contract extension on Tuesday.
Pro Football Talk first reported the deal that is reportedly worth $68 million with $45 million in guaranteed money.
The 25-year-old's mega deal comes on the heels of the huge deal Richard Sherman signed last week with the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN noted that Sherman’s four-year, $57.4 million contract is one year less than Haden’s, so Sherman will remain the highest paid corner when it comes to guaranteed new money.
Haden is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and was selected to the Pro Bowl last season.
“This is a great day for both Joe Haden and the Cleveland Browns,” general manager Ray Farmer said. “Joe’s a good, young player who’s made a commitment to our organization, and he’s somebody with whom we want to move forward in order to advance our football team. He’s a great person. He’s the right guy to both build with and build around as we attempt to become an elite football team.”
There is no doubt that Browns fans have been longing to become an elite team for a quite some time. Maybe now with solid draft picks and Haden signed till 2019, the team can accomplish that.