Steelers' Joe Haden has waited long time for playoff win

Ben Roethlisberger is aware his words may ring hollow when he tells his younger Pittsburgh Steelers teammates not to count on playing in the postseason every year.

“You never really know if you’re going to get a chance to get back,” Roethlisberger said this week as he prepared for the final postseason trip of his NFL career. “And when I tell them that, they look at me like, ‘Well, you’ve been here 12 times in 18 years.’ ”

The message perhaps hits home more when it’s spoken by the second-oldest member of the Steelers’ active roster. Joe Haden, 32, is in his 12th NFL season — or the same number of times the Steelers’ 39-year-old quarterback has appeared in the playoffs.

For Haden, though, when the Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs in a wild-card-round matchup Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium, it will mark just his third career postseason appearance. And it will be only the second postseason game played for Haden since he was drafted in 2010.

“You really can’t take it for granted,” Haden said. “Being in the league so long, I just realize it so much.”

As much as the Steelers want to keep playing to honor Roethlisberger’s legacy as he heads into retirement, a win would be just as meaningful for Haden considering he doesn’t know where he’ll be drawing an NFL paycheck next season.

As he concludes his fifth year with the Steelers, Haden is prepared to hit free agency after the organization declined in training camp to offer him a contract extension.

Haden has accomplished much in his NFL career: three Pro Bowl appearances, including one in 2019 with the Steelers, and $121 million in career earnings. Yet one thing eluding him is a playoff victory.

In his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Haden’s teams never won more than seven games in a season, and the Browns finished last in the AFC North every year from 2011-16. His first career postseason appearance coincided with his first year with the Steelers, 2017, when they were upset at home in the first round by Jacksonville.

It wasn’t until 2020 that the Steelers returned to the playoffs. Haden, though, was on the reserve/covid list and missed the game against his former team. He would have been eligible to play in the divisional round, but the Steelers were bounced by the Browns, 48-37. Haden had to watch the loss from his living room TV.

“It’s knowing that other teams are at home,” Haden said. “A lot of dudes and friends we played with in college, they are on their offseason. They are chilling and hanging out. We still have a chance to win a championship. Everybody knows it’s nothing to play with.”

Haden nearly missed the final game of the regular season for the second year in a row when he again tested positive for covid last week. He was placed on the reserve list Wednesday but was cleared to return Saturday, the day before the Steelers played at Baltimore in a game they needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“I was (ticked),” he said. “I was so upset. The only thing I wanted to know was could I get back to play, what test do I have to take? I wanted to take as many tests as I could.”

Haden already had missed five games this season, including a four-game run in November and December with a foot injury. He didn’t want to miss another with a virus that cost him a playoff game a year ago.

“We were talking about that last week,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “Luckily, he was able to get out of the covid protocol in time. It sucks when you feel like you can’t be a part of the last game because you don’t know. To get a guy like that back, he brings veteran leadership. He’s the ultimate swag guy that brings confidence to that group.”

In Haden’s absence, the Steelers eventually discovered a capable replacement in Ahkello Witherspoon, who also started at left cornerback against the Ravens.

Because of Haden’s recovery from covid, coach Mike Tomlin intentionally limited his snaps in the final. Haden was on the field for just 26 of 71 plays and contributed four tackles in the Steelers’ 16-13 overtime victory.

It took an Indianapolis loss at Jacksonville and a last-second field goal in overtime by the Las Vegas Raiders to ensure Haden would get to play in that elusive second career playoff game.

Haden spent the week reminding his younger teammates to appreciate the opportunity the Steelers have been given to have their season extended.

“We really didn’t know if we were going to have a chance in the dance,” he said. “Once you’re in, everybody has an equal playing field. It doesn’t matter what seed you are or how you get in. It’s three games to the Super Bowl, four games and you’re the Super Bowl champs. … Put that in perspective. It’s one game at a time. We have Kansas City and then (with a win), we have another game.”

Haden would love nothing more than to extend his fifth — and perhaps final — season with the Steelers for another week. It would provide a sweet sendoff for someone who is called “Joe Money” by teammates and not just because of his career earnings or his penchant for, as defensive coordinator Keith Butler said, driving “around with a chauffeur.” It’s for his timely plays on the field.

Haden contributed one of the biggest defensive plays of the season when his fourth-down tackle in the final minute against Tennessee preserved a 19-13 victory that helped the Steelers on a run of three wins in their final four games.

“That was a huge, huge play, and he’s come up with plays like that for us,” Butler said. “He’s been around the league for a long time. We’ll see what happens to him after this whether he plays anymore or not, whether he plays here or not. We’ll see that, too.

“But he’s been good for us.”