Carolina Panthers Josh Norman Holdout Ends In Divorce From Team; Odell Beckham Foe Wants Higher Pay Than Cam Newton

By Mitch de Leon
NFL: NFC Championship-Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers
Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers team members pose for a photo during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship football game at Bank of America Stadium.  Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Panthers suffered a heartbreaking loss in the hands of the Denver Broncos during the Super Bowl 50 faceoff. Despite the return of Cam Newton, who went up against an injured Peyton Manning, the Michael Oher team still failed to bag the win. Hence, the exciting season of the Carolina Panthers ended in disappointment and frustration. However, it looks like the front office has no intention of letting that happen again. In a recent decision, the Carolina Panthers opted to get rid of one of the best players in the NFL team: Josh Norman.

In a surprising move, the Carolina Panthers decided to rescind the franchise tag of Norman. This makes the cornerback an undrafted free agent at the moment. According to reports, the higher pay demanded by Norman was the main reason behind the decision.

"After a number of conversations with Josh's agent we realized that a long-term deal was not attainable," announced Dave Gettleman following the decision to let go Norman. The Carolina Panthers general manager added, "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."

Prior to this move, Norman was set to receive $13.952 million with the franchise tag deal. However, the cornerback reportedly wants higher pay this NFL season. To be more specific, Norman wanted a contract more lucrative or at least equal to the one given to Darrelle Revis. The New York Jets cornerback is currently under a $70.1 million contract expanding to five years. Moreover, Revis has a $48 million guaranteed money. In Norman's case though, it looks like the Carolina Panthers did not feel the need to splurge on the star.

"When we decided to place the franchise tag on Josh, we were fine with him signing it and then working on a long-term deal," explained Gettleman. He further said, "As we got deeper into conversations, we realized it was a significant difference between our thoughts and theirs. The intervening weeks gave us additional time to evaluate where we're going as a franchise. With the realization a deal was not going to get done, our internal conversations kept leading us to the fact that the one-year deal was becoming less and less attractive."

Right now, Norman is still classified as a free agent. However, teams are reportedly expressing interest in signing the cornerback. The list includes the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Surprisingly, the New York Giants also expressed interest in the cornerback. It can be recalled that Odell Beckham Jr, the star player of the New York team, has been feuding against Norman in and out of the gridiron.

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