Philadelphia Eagles: Trade For Joe Haden, Not Richard Sherman
By Jeremy Klump
The Philadelphia Eagles shouldn’t trade for Richard Sherman — but they should trade for Joe Haden.
With all of the talk about current Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman on the trade block, many people feel that the Philadelphia Eagles should try to trade for him. Sherman is one of the best the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL. It makes complete sense for the Eagles to add an All-Pro cornerback to their roster. That is the weakest position on their roster and would fill a hole that would then not need to be addressed (right away) during the 2017 NFL Draft.
Even Sherman himself joked on Twitter about being traded to the Eagles. However, is Sherman the cornerback they should get in a trade? No. Is there another cornerback the Eagles should be trying to acquire? Yes.
If the Eagles are serious about trading for a cornerback, current Cleveland Browns starting cornerback Joe Haden is who they should target. You may be asking why the Eagles wouldn’t just trade for Sherman, because clearly, he is better.
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Yes, Sherman is better, but he is also 29 years old. He will also cost a lot more in a trade than the 27-year-old Haden would cost. The current Seahawks cornerback is signed through the 2018 season and then will become an unrestricted free agent in 2019. Haden is signed through the 2019 season and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2020. And for those who think having Haden an extra year could be a risk, Haden could be released before the start of the 2019 season. He has no dead cap, meaning his entire contract would be off of the books (All contract information courtesy of Spotrac).
When Haden ends his 2019 season, he will only be 29, meaning he will be the exact age Sherman currently is. So, if he is playing well enough, you will be able to give him another contract to help the longevity of the trade/investment you make.
Philadelphia is apparently making moves for the future, so trading for Haden over Sherman has a better chance of paying out longer than trading for Sherman does. I know that Haden has had a rough last two seasons, but you have to figure out how much of that is impacted from playing in Cleveland his entire career. I think playing in Cleveland has had a lot to do with him not playing as well as he did in 2013 and 2014. His poor play over the last two seasons will also lower the price, making him a low risk, high reward move.
If the Browns wanted a third- or fourth-round pick for Haden (probably the cost in a deep cornerback draft class), why would the Eagles say no? By getting Haden via trade, the Eagles could draft a running back at No. 14, or go with everyone’s favorite “best player available” idea.
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Obviously, a significant aspect of trading for Sherman or Haden is the salary cap, but Howie Roseman is a wizard when it comes to that stuff. He would be able to make it work, one way or another. If Roseman was able to make it work, Haden is the cornerback the Eagles should trade for — not Sherman.