April, 26, 2016
By Justin Nicely
By Justin Nicely
The Redskins inked cornerback Josh Norman to a five-year, $75 million deal that includes up to $50 million in guaranteed money – to compare, Patrick Peterson has $48 million guaranteed and Richard Sherman has $40 million guaranteed. However, only about $36.5 million is fully guaranteed per Albert Breer; and according to Jason La Canfora, he also got a $15 million signing bonus that eclipses the $14 million franchise tag that he would have received from the Panthers alone. The deal is essentially for two years with $36.5 million in guaranteed money, and $500k in per-game roster bonuses in 2017. That will give the Redskins options after 2017, including being able to release him after the second year without losing much. At the end of the third year on his deal, he will be 31 years old.
Norman's cap hit will likely be around $8 million in 2016, $20 million in 2017, $17 million in 2018, $11 million in 2019, and $12 million in 2020. The reason for the unbalanced numbers is because the Redskins don’t have much cap left this year, and will take the bulk of the cap punishment next season. Before Norman's deal the Redskins had around $58 million in available cap space for next year, so they should have enough money to re-sign most of their top free agents next season which includes: Kirk Cousins (who they are still hoping to re-sign to a long term deal this offseason.), Junior Galette, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Chris Baker, and Jordan Reed. Even before signing Norman though, there was a good chance not all of them would be retained. The salary cap is also going up and should go up again next season so it will create even more space for them.
Given how conservative Scot McCloughan has been, paying Josh Norman this much money says a lot about how he views him. Scot McCloughan said that Alex Santos—the Director of Pro Personnel—and his staff already had a file on Norman, just like every other player in the league. McCloughan said it took them "ten minutes" to decide to go all-in on Josh Norman. On reconciling a big free agent signing with his normal philosophy: "We're gonna build through the draft no matter what." And went on to say "Free agency is a tool you use...this kid is coming off an all-pro season and matches all the characteristics we want." NFL Network's Jeff Darlington tweeted "How much do I believe in Scot McCloughan? I'd view Norman signing as cliché Snyder if McCloughan wasn't GM. Now I'm questioning Carolina." Former Houston Texans GM, Charley Casserly, said "The Redskins signing Josh Norman is like having a second first round draft choice this year. Look for a DL in the first round." Scot McCloughan obviously saw something special in Norman and is hoping it will pay off.
The decision for the Panthers to release him was all about the money. He was given the franchise tag, but didn’t sign it as he was seeking for a long term deal. The Panthers offered him $11 million a year, but he declined and the Panthers rescinded the franchise tag. Before signing with the Redskins he offered to sign the franchise tag with the Panthers, but they told him that they already filed paper work to the NFL and were moving on.
The Giants gave Janoris Jenkins $29 million in guaranteed money in the first two years of his contract. He has never been in the top 10 at his position. This past season he was ranked as the eleventh best at his position by Pro Football Focus (with an overall rating of 85.3). They rated Josh Norman as the best corner in 2015 with an overall rating of 95.1 (Tyrann Mathieu was ranked at number two with a rating of 93.7, Chris Harris Jr. at number three with a rating of 88.7, and the highest ranked Redskin from last season was Bashaud Breeland at number nine overall with a rating of 86.7). So the Redskins paid an extra $7.5 million to get the best cornerback in 2015.
The Redskins view Norman as their Richard Sherman. Coaches around the league were impressed with his closing speed, physicality, ball skills, and his length. Pass Break-ups and interceptions from Redskins corners from a year ago (including Josh Norman):
- Josh Norman: 19 pass break-ups, 4 interceptions
- Bashaud Breeland: 16 pass break-ups, 2 interceptions
- Chris Culliver: 1 pass break-up, 0 interceptions
- Will Blackmon: 9 pass break-ups, 2 interceptions
The first three receivers Norman will go up against will be Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant, and Odell Beckham Jr. Chris Culliver, himself said he might not be himself this year and it usually takes two years to fully recover from an ACL tear and it's the second of his career. Releasing Culliver post 6/1 creates $8 million in cap space, but McCloughan said he expects both of them to be on the roster. This is how Norman fared against NFC East wide receivers last season:
- Dez Bryant: Two catches for 26 yards
- Odell Beckham Jr.: Six catches for 76 yards
- Jordan Matthews: Three catches for 14 yards
Many people think Norman is a product of the Panthers defensive scheme, but many also believe that isn't the case. Signing Norman will allow them to play a true zone defense. Last season, teams tried to free up their number one receiver by moving him around the field and that meant having to move Bashaud Breeland over to man coverage all over the field. Getting Josh Norman reduces the need for great safeties (especially in a zone defense). Also, if the pass rush is as good as they hope it to be Norman and Breeland can suffocate opposing offenses even more. Norman has played a lot of different coverage's with the Panthers and can play zone or man coverage. See the coverage's the Panthers ran in 2015 below from Sam Monson from Pro Football Focus:
Josh Norman isn't just a Cover-2 corner. The #Panthers ran a lot of things last season: pic.twitter.com/vkk4vFivuM
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) April 21, 2016
The top five defenses from last season had great corner play in the Broncos, Seahawks, Texans, Jets, and Cardinals. However, another key element that each team had was a good pass rush. So the Redskins will still need a good pass rush for this defense to succeed because even the best corners can't stay on the receiver for very long. McCloughan said he believes this group of pass rushers will get the job done and will help the defense overall.
Josh Norman talked to the Redskins media on Monday and here are a few bullet points on what he said:
- Josh Norman confirmed it was down to the Saints and Redskins for his final choices. Said it was a family decision and polled his family and friends on whether he should join the Redskins or Saints. He said "that hospitality sparked to my family" and everyone agreed that he should join the Redskins.
- Norman on match-up with NFC East wide receivers (specifically on Odell Beckham Jr.): "[it will be] best on best...it's going to be fun...Whatever happens that day, happens."]
- Norman on 'Skins: "I had heard, once they let you in, they won't let you out. I started looking up Redskins colors online."
- Norman said one of the reasons he chose the Redskins was because they have a lot of the pieces in place and said "This team, I'm telling you, is on the rise...we're on the rise, man, whether you're on the train or not."
- Norman went on to say: "I don’t feel like I've made it. I haven’t. I get chills just talking about it. I still have work to do...I have so much more to accomplish."
After signing Josh Norman on Friday, General Manager, Scot McCloughan, drove out of Redskins park giving a big thumbs up.
The Redskins only have about $3.4 million left in cap space – and they must free more for their rookie draft picks and undrafted free agents, which they can do by releasing or restructuring contracts.
The Redskins only have about $3.4 million left in cap space – and they must free more for their rookie draft picks and undrafted free agents, which they can do by releasing or restructuring contracts.