Latest On Josh Norman

Some might say that the Panthers put Josh Norman in a bad spot by not rescinding his franchise tender earlier in the offseason. However, as Mike Florio of PFT notes, the Panthers could have put the cornerback in a much worse spot by pulling the tag after the draft. As of today, there are still several teams with the cap room necessary to sign Norman and a clear need for a game-changing cornerback like him. If the Panthers waited a couple of weeks to pull the tender, Norman probably would have been left in limbo without any strong fits.

Here’s more on Norman and the Panthers:

  • Eight or nine teams have contacted Norman’s representatives since the Panthers rescinded the franchise tag, a league source tells Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (on Twitter).
  • Norman wanted Patrick Peterson/Darrelle Revis money while the Panthers were only willing to sign him to Byron Maxwell money, which would put him at about $11MM per year, Person tweets.
  • Of course, it’s not often that franchise tags are rescinded. The most “recent” cases of the franchise tag being pulled were Leroy Hill in 2009 (Seahawks) and Corey Simon (Eagles) in 2005, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • The Jaguars are a natural fit for Norman because they need a strong No. 1 cover corner and have the resources to pay him, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. The Jaguars are $52.5MM under the cap, more than every team except San Francisco.
  • In addition to the Jaguars, the Titans, Bears, Giants….and Panthers are among the teams that make the most sense for Norman, Nate Davis of USA Today opines. The Panthers, Davis writes, probably give Norman his best shot at both winning and cashing in since the team has ~$30MM in cap room.
  • During Super Bowl week in February, Norman made no secret of his affinity for the 49ers, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “They’re tremendous, and one of the greatest teams we have among the 32,” Norman said. “Their championships in the Super Bowls are epic. They’ve had all-time greats. They’re right up there with the Packers and Dallas Cowboys in how they do things.”
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