Last week, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman signed a four-year, $57.4 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Not anymore.
The Cleveland Browns one-upped the Seahawks on Tuesday by agreeing to a $68 million contract extension with cornerback Joe Haden that would keep the Pro Bowler in Cleveland through 2019.
Haden’s contract includes a $14 million signing bonus and up to $45 million in guaranteed money, numbers that both surpass Sherman’s extension.
Haden’s signing is one of a number of big moves made by Cleveland this offseason. The Browns gave Haden some help in the secondary by drafting Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert with the ninth overall pick in the NFL draft. Later in the first round, the Browns traded up to the No. 22 pick to draft Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The 25-year-old Haden has emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the league since being drafted by the Browns with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Haden finished third in the NFL with 20 pass deflections in 2013, and was named to his first Pro Bowl.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@SportsCenter
