Potential landing spots for free agent Josh Norman
The
Carolina Panthers'
decision to rescind Josh Norman's franchise tag is one of the most stunning NFL developments we've seen in a long time.
With no warning, one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL is freely available one week before the NFL draft. If Norman was on the market when free agency started in March, he easily would have been the
No. 1 overall player on our board.
The
Panthers wanted to avoid a potential distraction with Norman, so they set him free. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Norman was seeking a contract in the neighborhood of
Darrelle Revis' deal that pays him $16 million per year. So what teams could possibly ink him?
Here are some potential landing spots for Norman:
San Francisco 49ers: General manager Trent Baalke was looking for help in free agency at cornerback, but came up empty. Rapoport mentioned the
49ers as one of the most likely suitors for Norman to liven up what has been a disappointing offseason. They have more than $50 million in salary-cap room, so money shouldn't be a problem.
Chicago Bears: Any team that pays
Tracy Porter $15 million over three season has a desperate need for cornerbacks. Chicago already spent solid money on linebackers
Danny Trevathan and
Jerrell Freeman, but the secondary could still use plenty of work.
Jacksonville Jaguars: They have the most salary-cap room in the league ($53 million
according to OvertheCap.com) and were trying to upgrade their defense quickly. They were ready to pay
Olivier Vernon monster money, but the
Giants out-spent them. The case against the
Jaguars: They weren't really tied to the other available free-agent cornerbacks out there and are fairly deep at cornerback.
Tennessee Titans: They have the fourth-most cap room in the league and not much talent at cornerback.
Los Angeles Rams: They placed the franchise tag on cornerback
Trumaine Johnson and were still in negotiations to retain
Janoris Jenkins before he left for the
Giants. Norman's physical style would be a good fit for Gregg Williams' defense, but the
Rams don't have a ton of cap room -- $12 million
according to OvertheCap.com.
Oakland Raiders: Sure, they just signed a physical 28-year-old cornerback in
Sean Smith and they don't have as much cap space after their spending spree this offseason. But these
Raiders are in win-now mode, they have a huge need in the secondary, and they love big personalities like Norman. He just sounds like a Raider.
Carolina Panthers: The last team to rescind a franchise tag was the
Seattle Seahawks on LeRoy Hill in 2009. The two sides then came to an agreement on a long-term contract four days later.
This sounds like a longshot for Norman, especially based on general manager Dave Gettleman's statement wishing Norman well in the future. But we wouldn't rule out a Carolina return for Norman when the dust settles. We know that Carolina had a big contract offer on the table and Norman is comfortable in the
Panthers' scheme.
There is an open question about how the rest of the NFL will value Norman. If things don't go as planned, a return to the
Panthers isn't so crazy.