The decision to rescind the franchise tag from cornerback Josh Norman could be viewed as a ploy by the Panthers to sign him to a long-term deal based on the current market for his services, since the current market for the services of a 28-year-old cornerback (29 in December) may be a lot less than what his $13.95 million tender would have paid in 2016.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, however, Carolina’s plan -- as reflected by G.M. Dave Gettleman wishing Norman well in the statement announcing the move -- is to not re-sign Norman.
Of course, that could change if/when Norman learns that the open market in late April has placed a much lower value on him than what the Panthers had offered. This assumes that the Panthers would still be willing to pay Norman what they would have paid before the removal of the tag.
After today, the Panthers probably won’t be willing to put the same offer on the table, especially if no one else is willing to come close to it. And the reality is that, now that teams like the Giants have exhausted the budget on players like cornerback Janoris Jenkins, Norman will have a hard time getting an offer in the same ballpark as what he would have gotten if he’d been available in early March.
It’s easy to blame the Panthers for putting Norman in a bad spot. But he could have prevented this from happening by signing the tender. He chose not to.