In his first on-the-record comments since the Carolina Panthers set him free, cornerback Josh Norman admitted he was as shocked as the rest of us when the news dropped.
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Norman hit free agency after his franchise tag was removed on Wednesday afternoon.
Anything more than $14.02 million per year would make Norman the highest-paid corner in the world.
Just after signing his five-year, $75 million deal with the Redskins on Friday night, the cornerback did an interview where he accused the Panthers of “sideswiping” him. The franchise still has to find a way to free up cap room in order to complete the deal, as they only have $11.4 million available.
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who received the franchise tag from the team for 2016, welcomed Norman via Twitter.
And the Niners are a team that would love to have Norman’s services in the secondary in 2016.
A former fifth-round pick, Norman had a breakout season is 2015 with four interceptions and two touchdowns but his goal next season is to achieve what the Panthers couldn’t- a Super Bowl win.
But with the way Norman played past year, McCloughan couldn’t resist and gave him all that guaranteed money.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of agents about a lot of players in the last couple weeks, including the last couple days, and I’ll kind of leave it at that”, he said.
According to a report by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Josh Norman has hired new representation. There are some concerns, however, about whether Norman will be able to reproduce the form he exhibited with the Panthers a year ago. They are the first team to make such a move since the 2009 Seattle Seahawks did so to LeRoy Hill.
Still, based on the the demand, it appears likely that Norman will get the payday he wants.
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Norman will also face rival receiver Odell Beckham Jr. twice a year when Washington faces the Giants in division games. He also said it was unlikely the team would reach a long-term deal with him.
