But that’s exactly what Washington did when they inked star cornerback Josh Norman to a deal, the team announced on Friday.
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Josh Norman during the NFC Championship game last season.
Despite a need at cornerback, and the dangling fruit of All-Pro corner Josh Norman now on the open market, the Dallas Cowboys are not likely to pursue the Carolina Panthers defensive back. With the offer withdrawn, Norman becomes an unrestricted free agent. By signing Norman, the Redskins now have the flexibility to trade down and acquire more pick, focus on bolstering the defensive line or select the best player available.
Norman and the Panthers were far apart on their long-term commitments.
Carolina Panthers now has almost $31 million in salary cap room, but that won’t guarantee the them to find a talented and competent starting cornerback. Yet Gettleman seemed to bemoan the cap, saying it “penalizes teams that draft well”.
This comes just two days after the Panthers rescinded their non-exclusive franchise tag on Norman and cut him outright. Opposing quarterbacks posted a rating of 54.0 when throwing Norman’s direction, the best in football, per Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.
In a shocking move Wednesday, the Panthers rescinded its franchise tender worth $13.9 million.
The big problem for the Saints though is that Norman spent Friday in Washington, and the Redskins really didn’t want him to leave. “The conversations were that the one-year deal was becoming less and less attractive”.
Interest from the Saints included a personal phone call from coach Sean Payton to Norman, according to NFL Network. The terms of the the contract are $75 million over five years, so the average annual value is $15 million a year.
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The Redskins are going to find out quickly as Norman will see Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. over the first three weeks in 2016.
