BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Joe Haden flashed the same bright smile he had the day he was drafted Saturday.
Memories of his time with the Browns came flooding back instantly as he roamed the halls of 76 Lou Groza Blvd and walked back onto the practice fields.
“Just memories of my teammates,” Haden said. “The first thing I thought about was Big Phil – Phil Taylor, I thought of T.J. Ward, I thought of Buster Skrine and I thought of [Tashaun] Gipson. I thought about the dudes that I was here with having so much fun and just walking through these halls, going to the practice fields and just the battles we went into.”
Back where it all began over 12 years ago, Haden is set to sign a ceremonial one-day contract and retire a Brown, something that was very important to him.
“The city embraced me when I was a kid,” Haden said. “I came here, I was just fresh 21 years old, didn’t have any kids and I wasn’t married at the time, and just the city embraced me, and they showed me so much love.
“I just grew up here. It just was a spot that showed me so much, and I kind of wanted to reciprocate that love. It just finally feels like where I grew up, and this is the place where I want to end my career.”
Haden will be honored during Monday night’s game against the Bengals.
“This family and this organization is beyond thrilled to have you and grateful for you to retire as a Cleveland Brown,” executive vice president and principle partner JW Johnson said before giving Haden a handshake and hug. “We said this to all our current and past players, once a Brown, always a Brown and we're so happy you're retiring today with us.”
The Haslam Sports Group had yet to buy the Browns when the franchise selected Haden seventh overall in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Florida, but they got to know the three-time Pro Bowler well after taking the team over in 2012.
The Maryland native and former Florida Gator played seven seasons with the Browns, and he remains one the top players selected in the draft by the franchise since 1999.
In 90 games, Haden amassed 19 interceptions, a touchdown, 101 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, two sacks and 377 tackles.
Following the 2010 NFL Draft, it didn’t take Haden long to embrace his new town, which at the time had become football Siberia in terms of NFL contention, but he quickly became a fan favorite and a mainstay courtside for Cavs games or at Progressive Field supporting the then Indians, now Guardians.
“I was always a big fan of basketball, big fan of sports in general and then Cleveland loved their teams so much, so it was kind of really easy for me to fall into that, too,” Haden said. “Then when Kyrie [Irving] was drafted and Tristan [Thompson] was drafted, it made it a lot easier when you really had friends on the team that you really want to support and want them to do well, so it kind of just rolled on and now they've got Donovan Mitchell. I'm here, I'm ready to go see that.”
He’ll be back in the building Sunday as the young and resurgent Cavaliers host the Knicks.
Haden was just as active within the Cleveland community but most of his philanthropic efforts saw him serve as an ambassador for the Special Olympics and work with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
A two-time Pro Bowler while in Cleveland, Haden was released in August 2017 as the Browns embarked on a massive roster overhaul and rebuild.
“Oh man, that was a tough day,” Haden said.
In hindsight, it was a blessing.
It hurt Haden to lose. No one wanted the Browns to win more than he did, but they didn’t do much of it when he was here. A 7-9 finish in 2014 was as good as it got. They went 5-11 twice, 4-12 twice, 3-13 once and then 1-15 in 2016.
He was spared the indignity of the 0-16 campaign that followed his release.
“That was a time where I never thought I would be playing for another team but here,” Haden said. “When I got that call and they told me they were going to release me, it was a humbling experience and then it kind of just puts the whole the NFL is a business into my eyes because there was just no way I am not going to be playing for the Browns.”
Haden quickly signed with Pittsburgh where he played the final five seasons of his career. He made the Pro Bowl for them in 2019.
“Being able to go five more years and being able to play and have that longevity, it felt good for me to be able to still go out there because I knew I still had good ball in me,” Haden said.
Once beloved by fans here, he became the enemy.
“I have no hard feelings,” Haden said. “I think the hardest part was like my first game coming here and getting booed by Cleveland so hard, and I am like it is what it is. I definitely didn’t expect to get the loudest of a cheer. That was kind of one of the things that it is a business so I have to kind of do what I have to do, but at the same time, I understand exactly where they were coming from.”
Haden is just 33, but after not getting any satisfactory offers this offseason, he decided it was just time to hang them up.
“I was working out the whole offseason, had no intentions of retiring, but I had a number in my head, I wasn’t going to do league minimum,” Haden said. “I’ve got my kids, I’ve got my health, so I know what I can bring to the table. So just having that realization and knowing what I’ve done for my body and what I felt like my worth was and when it didn’t come to that, I could step away happy.”
Haden currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Sarah, and sons, Joey, 6, and Jett, 3.
With his playing days over, Haden spends his free time with his family, working on his golf game with former Cav JR Smith and he plans to follow in the footsteps of another Browns great and former teammate, Joe Thomas, and try his hand at broadcasting.
“Definitely going to be in his ear about it for sure,” Haden said about seeking out advice from Thomas.
But first he’ll sign off and officially hang up his cleats Monday night as a Brown.
In five years, Haden will be eligible for induction into the Browns Legends Club, which is all but guaranteed, giving him another opportunity to flash that bright smile once again.