Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden was in the midst of choosing between multiple teams in 2017 when the Cleveland Browns released him.
Vying for his services was the Miami Dolphins, the New Orleans Saints and the Steelers, according to himself on an appearance on Johnny Manziel's Glory Daze podcast.
"Pittsburgh's hitting me. New Orleans, and Miami. I had three squads that was hitting me,” Haden said.
"Two minutes later, I got three [offers]," Haden said of how quickly things moved post-release. "I got a bunch of teams but these are the three best offers. We've got New Orleans, we've got Miami, and we've got Pittsburgh. I'm rocking with Mike T. I love Mike T. AB's been trying to burn me up for the last seven years. I'm cool, I'd rather be on his team than against him. At the end of the day, the bread was all kind of similar."
Haden made clear that what separated the Steelers from the other teams was the people, not the money involved.
"Two minutes later, I got three [offers]," Haden said. "I got a bunch of teams but these are the three best offers. We've got New Orleans, we've got Miami, and we've got Pittsburgh. I'm rocking with Mike T. I love Mike T. AB's been trying to burn me up for the last seven years. I'm cool, I'd rather be on his team than against him. At the end of the day, the bread was all kind of similar."
Haden would go on to play from 2017 to 2021 with the Steelers before ending his career ahead of the 2022 season. Haden was a three time Pro Bowl invitee, with his 2019 invite coming with the Steelers. He also recorded two interception touchdowns in his career, one of which coming on the Steelers when he intercepted Robert Griffin III in a win against the Ravens in 2020.
