The Carolina Panthers start their voluntary off-season conditioning program on April 25th. This is the first time they can be at their facility. The Carolina Panthers had franchise-tagged cornerback Josh Norman. All indications were that he was going to miss the workouts, but still be in a Panther uniform at the start of the year. The Panthers had until July 15th to get a contract deal done. Carolina rescinded Norman’s franchise tag Wednesday and he is now a free agent.
According to ESPN, Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said, “When we decided to place the franchise tag on Josh, we were fine with him signing it and then working on a long-term deal. As we got deeper into conversations, we realized it was a significant difference between our thoughts and theirs”.
This is a surprising move. Josh Norman is one of the best young cornerbacks in the league. When he was in a Panthers uniform, he lined up against the top receivers. He had the ability to shut them down and intercept the football. Last year, Norman had 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. That was key to the success for the Panthers to go all the way to the Super Bowl. Norman rarely missed a tackle in the open field with a total of 48. In his career he has 4 forced fumbles and 7 interceptions.
Norman can now sign with any team. There will be plenty of teams who will show interest in him because of the way he plays the position. Norman can knock down passes from being caught by a receiver. Opposing quarterbacks have to be careful throwing the football because one mistake and the pass will be intercepted by Josh Norman.
Norman will be in the NFL this year. The only problem might be his salary. Darrelle Revis is the highest paid cornerback in the NFL at $14 million a year. Norman probably wants to be paid about the same as Revis. Time will only tell what kind of deal he receives. The Panthers will regret letting him go.
What do you think of the Carolina Panthers rescinding Josh Norman’s franchise tag?
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