Having already agreed to a long-term deal with right guard Trai Turner last month, the Panthers are now aiming to extend left guard Andrew Norwell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, general manager Marty Hurney says the club isn’t in ongoing negotiations with Norwell, tweets Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer.
Norwell, 25, recently indicated to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that he’d prefer to remain in Carolina for the long haul, and has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus with that goal in mind. A restricted free agent, Norwell was tendered at the second-round level this offseason, meaning he’ll earn $2.746MM in 2017.
If he reaches unrestricted free agency next spring, Norwell could conceivably collect nearly four times that amount annually, as the guard market has recently exploded. Kevin Zeitler, Turner, Gabe Jackson, and Joel Bitonio have all signed long-term pacts with an annual value north of $10MM in the past six months, meaning Norwell will have a clear threshold in mind.
Turner, for his part, received $45MM on a four-year deal that includes $15.797MM in fully guaranteed money. It’s unclear if Norwell will be able to surpass either of those barriers: while he’s been a more consistent player as of late (No. 11 guard in 2016 versus Turner’s No. 39 ranking, per Pro Football Focus), he’s also nearly two years older than his interior line counterpart.
If the Panthers can’t strike an agreement with Norwell, the franchise tag will not be an option in 2018. Because the offensive linemen tender amount includes tackles, it’s projected cost (in excess of $15MM) isn’t palatable for a guard.