Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden will play in the first playoff game of his NFL career on Sunday.
But the 2-time Pro Bowl selection seems to be having a hard time escaping his former team lately.
Last week, Haden told ESPN he thought the 'Perfect Season Parade' protesting the Cleveland Browns' 0-16 season was "really lame." Haden, of course, played for the Browns from 2010-2016.
Now, in a Sports Illustrated piece profiling the rise of the Steelers defense, Haden has detailed the circumstances that led to his exit from Cleveland last August. According to Haden, now-former Browns vice president of football operations Sashi Brown had requested that the Florida product take a paycut from what was slated to be an $11.1 million base salary in 2017.
Haden declined to do so and requested his release, which he was then granted after seven seasons in Cleveland.
"They were going to pay Brock Osweiler $16 million and he's not even on the team [after being signed and cut this summer]," Haden told Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop, "and they wanted to cut money from me!”
Added Haden's Steelers teammate, safety Mike Mitchell: “They're dumb — that's Cleveland. You can't find a top-10 corner in September; that just doesn't happen. He was the final piece [of the Steelers defense].”
Haden proceeded to sign a three-year deal in Pittsburgh, where he has played a key role on a Steelers team that ranks fifth in total defense and seventh in scoring. The Browns -- who fired Brown in December -- meanwhile, recorded what was just the second 0-16 season in NFL history, leading to Saturday's aforementioned parody parade.
Haden will make his NFL Playoffs debut on Sunday, when the 13-3 AFC North champion Steelers host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round.
