Josh Norman Felt “Stabbed In The Back” By Rescinded Franchise Tag
The Washington Redskins were fortunate to land Josh Norman last offseason after the Carolina Panthers rescinded his franchise tag. Norman took the decision personally, according to sources.
When Josh Norman left the Carolina Panthers last offseason, there was no doubt that it was a messy split. The team elected to rescind the franchise tag, which Norman had not signed, and that caught many across the league off guard. Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman decided that it was not worth it to hold onto Norman for one year, as he did not see a long term deal getting worked out. It was a curious choice, and one that Norman still harbors resentment over.
Related Story: Josh Norman Eager To Take On Former Team
According to ESPN’s Dave Newton, Norman felt “stabbed in the back” by Gettleman’s decision. He opened up and said the following in Newton’s article:
"It’s just when that situation came up it was totally out of left field. It just went downhill from there. It almost felt like I was stabbed in the back in a way."
Norman honestly has every right to be mad. He was the main force to reckon with in the Carolina secondary, and it definitely has showed. This season, the Panthers are 5-8 after starting last season 13-0. Granted, Norman’s departure is not worth eight wins entirely, issues on the offensive line have also played a role, but the defense has been poor without him.
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After performing extremely well last season, the Panthers pass defense ranks 30th in the league. The rookie corners that they have started in place of Norman have been torched mercilessly at times, and the team has not been able to record as many sacks. Opposing quarterbacks are able to take less time to throw accurate passes, and that has negatively affected the Panthers in 2016.
At the end of the day, it appears that Norman has gotten the last laugh. He got a $15 million per year deal and is on a team that has a chance of qualifying for the playoffs. The outspoken cornerback has also gotten back at Gettleman this week by only referring to him as “whatchacallit,” though he has not been entirely disrespectful. Norman said this in the Newton piece to acknowledge that Gettleman’s decision was probably backed by some factors.
"“I’m not beating a dead horse by saying this stuff,” said Norman, a fifth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina in 2012, the year before Gettleman arrived. “He didn’t draft me. He didn’t bring me in. Marty Hurney did. So at the end of the day I had no ties to that. I understand that and I get it. The personality of how I am probably don’t suit some people in that atmosphere.“At the end of the day it seems as if I wasn’t worthy enough to be there. I got fired. I’m kind of taking it like that.”"
Norman will definitely have a chip on his shoulder this week. He will be fun to watch on Monday as the Redskins enter another must-win scenario.