Cornerback Josh Norman recently signed a five-year deal with the Washington Redskins earlier this week. But, aside from the Redskins, it was recently revealed that Drew Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints also wanted the cornerback for his team.
Apparently, according to a report by ESPN, Brees was willing to free up a bit of salary space if the only reason preventing the Saints from securing Norman was money.
"I'm told @Saints QB @drewbrees personally wanted @j_No24 on team and was willing to modify contract to make it happen," Ed Werder of ESPN tweeted.
The report suggests that Brees was hopeful that with Norman on the roster, they will be able to work out the plays well on the field. However, despite his offer, it seems the Saints just couldn't match other teams' offer on Norman.
Currently, the saints has a salary space of $3.5 million. This certainly wouldn't be enough to bag a decent player especially a cornerback like Norman. The Redskins, on the other hand, offered him a total of $75 million, or about $15 million for each year in his contract.
Of course, anyone in Norman's position would probably side with the Redskins.
But, even though the Redskins was able to bag a talented athlete, it seems not everyone in the roster is happy with Norman joining the team. Specifically, cornerback Bashaud Breeland found the move to sign Norman disrespectful.
Before the arrival of Norman, Breeland was the Redskins' main cornerback, which means he's probably expending that he will become the team's main defensive player eventually. However, this all changed after Norman signed a contract.
"To be honest, at first I took it as disrespect," he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Me being a competitor, trying to be at that level as a No. 1 corner not only on the team but in the league as well."
But, Breeland also saw the move to sign Norman as beneficial because after all, with him on the team, the Redskins could definitely improve its overall defense line. He also noted that he and Norman could work together this season on improving their performance and playing styles.