Did Panthers Make Big Mistake or Brilliant Calculation Letting Josh Norman Walk?

Just one week before the NFL draft surprising news is anything but. Wednesday was no exception, with the Philadelphia Eagles announcing the second blockbuster draft pick trade of the last week.

However, it was a move involving an established player that dropped jaws around the NFL. In rescinding the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman, the Carolina Panthers essentially threw in the towel on one of the cornerstones of a defense the team rode to a berth in Super Bowl 50.

It was a stunning move. But was it a panic-inspired mistake or a shrewd call by a Panthers team willing to sacrifice a piece—any piece—if it best serves the whole?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was among the first to drop Wednesday’s second news bombshell in the NFL:

Panthers have removed franchise tag on CB Josh Norman, now a free agent.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 20, 2016

Not long after the news broke, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman released a statement bidding adieu to the 28-year-old, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

“After a number of conversations with Josh’s agent we realized that a long-term deal was not attainable. We have decided to rescind the franchise tag freeing Josh to immediately become a UFA. We thank Josh for all his contributions and truly wish him well.”

To say this turn of events threw the Twitterverse into a frenzy would be something of an understatement. Even NFL players were flabbergasted by the news:

Whoa Carolina…. it’s a little too late to do April Fools!! ????????????

— Prince Amukamara (@PrinceAmukamara) April 20, 2016

And why wouldn’t they be? Norman spent much of a 2015 season in which he amassed 56 tackles, four interceptions and three forced fumbles as a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Norman was arguably the defensive MVP of a team that lost all of two games—one being Super Bowl 50.

Norman finished the season as the sixth-ranked cornerback at Pro Football Focus. His passer rating against of 54.0 was the lowest allowed by any player at the position.

Norman was one of the best players in all of football at a position that carries a high premium in today’s pass-wacky NFL. No one batted an eye when the Panthers tagged Norman at almost $14 million for the upcoming season.

Share Tweet

And while little progress had been made on a long-term extension, there was still plenty of time to get a deal done. As David Newton of ESPN.com reported, Norman certainly sounded like a player who expected to be in Denver when the Panthers open the 2016 season against the Broncos in a radio interview over this past weekend:

You couldn’t ask for a better written script that could happen for us. We can pretty much right the wrong. Everything else will be justified. We didn’t play our best game. Everybody knows that. It’s not nothing we’re going to be shameful to say.

If we can go up there and put an exclamation point on what happened …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com