It was about a month ago when football fans everywhere were glued to the Twitter feed of Adam Schefter as domino after domino continued to fall in the Free Agency Frenzy of the NFL Offseason.
While we thought that our stomachs were plenty full off of juicy moves and acquisitions by various teams, we were given one last and final eye-popping serving when Josh Norman signed with the Washington Redskins on Friday.
The move makes the NFL’s most storied division and its 2016 storylines all the more interesting. In case you haven’t heard, Josh Norman and Odell Beckham Jr. have themselves quite the history. We now get to see that battle twice a year.
Perhaps overlooked in the hoopla of Norman-To-Washington is that he will also have to face off against Dez Bryant twice a season. Much to Josh’s chagrin I’m not speaking about the Thanksgiving Day 2015 version of Dez Bryant that Norman most recently faced… I’m talking about a 100% healthy Dez Bryant with a 100% healthy Tony Romo. He’ll learn soon enough.
It had been curiously long since Dan Synder, owner of the Washington Redskins, made a move of this type. Typically Mr. Snyder embodies the persona that people often apply to Jerry Jones more often than Mr. Jones himself. Cowboys fans everywhere were starting to get worried that perhaps Snyder had wised up. It’s nice to see that some things never change.
It appears Josh Norman will carry caps of $8M, $20M, $17M thru 2018, but the #Redskins can get out after 2017 ($9M dead $). 2 yr/$37M deal.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 23, 2016
In total Josh Norman’s deal with Washington is 5-years for $75 Million with $50 Million in guarantees. Some will say that this is too much to pay a 29-year old cornerback with one legitimate year of success, and while that is true… it’s too much to pay to any cornerback in general.
This type of money, specifically those type of guarantees, are only truly worth it at the most impactful positions in football: Quarterback and Pass Rusher. Even the legend of Deion Sanders would have a hard time influencing the game to a degree that it would be worth that much money.
The nature of football dictates the game as such that a cornerback simply cannot influence the overall game the way that a quarterback/pass rusher can. It’s just the way that the game works. The Cowboys have learned that paying cornerbacks big time money just isn’t smart business.
Most 2016 Cap $ Allocated to CBs#Jets: $31.7M#Cowboys: $29M#Redskins: $26.7M#Browns: $25.7M#Broncos: $23.1M
— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 23, 2016
As you can see the Cowboys are still paying the price, no pun intended, on their big investment at the cornerback position (Brandon Carr is one people would like to forget). They have finally learned how to play the financial game wisely and are gearing away from that, while Washington just saddled themselves into it for the foreseeable future.
Is Josh Norman an elite NFL cornerback? Yes. Don’t let the fact that he now wears enemy colors influence the opinion that you had on him just days ago when you secretly hoped that he’d be a Dallas Cowboy.
What you can hang your hat on is that while he’s an elite NFL cornerback, even the elite ones aren’t worth this kind of money. No cornerback is. Let’s all sit back now and watch the Washington Redskins learn that lesson the hard way.
What do you make of Josh Norman as a Washington Redskin? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
Not that kind of money. Noooooo way!!!
Norman is worth it. Better than paying Carr 10 million.
There's a difference between being worth it and better than laying Carr. Brandon Carr being overpaid isn't the issue here in my opinion, it's committing that much money to a position that doesn't influence enough of the game to make it warranted.
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I said this on Twitter but it bears repeating here: When a cornerback doesn't emerge as a great cornerback until your defense has a top flight pass rush, that's a red flag. It is also a red flag when that cornerback's emergence comes at age 28 after several NFL seasons.
I have no doubts that Josh Norman is a pretty good cornerback, but the Redskins signed him for $15 million per season and he's not going to be able to replicate his 2015 success within their defense. I would be willing to bet both ODB and Dez embarrass Norman four times this season.
Norman has only been in the NFL since 2012, that is Four seasons. He has plenty left in the tank. Our Cornerbacks on the other hand stink. Redskins got better. He made Dez look pathetic. Can't wait to watch him go against OBJ. Panthers dumped Hardy. K Short had 11 sacks after him someone had 6 as the second most on the team. Panthers had 44 sacks total . Average NFL club had 37. Who lead in Coverage sacks, I don't have that stat. Watching the Panthers play last year, they have to be top five. Norman 18 passes defended, 3 FF, 4 ints 2 were PIX SIX against TOP talent. Brandon Carr 6 passes defended and NO INTS…Flippin ZELCH. Morris "should not have been drafted" Claiborne 7 passes defended, ZERO INT's. Byron Jones 8 PD and ZERO INT. None of those three forced any fumbles.
I'm not trying to say Josh Norman wouldn't have been an improvement on our secondary. I'm just saying for $15 million per season, he has to be the best out there. He might have been the best in 2015 or close to it, but the Redskins paid him to be the best for the next 5 seasons. I don't think it was a good gamble, and as we know the Redskins are the kings of bad gambles.
I think a healthy Dez and ODB will tear him up this season in a less-talented Redskins defense. We will see soon enough.
Norman became a shutdown in season 3, 2014 for the record. Morris Claiborne is still trying to get into second tier category. Over the first 14 weeks of the season, Norman held DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans, T. Y. Hilton, Dez Bryant, and Julio Jones to a combined 9 receptions for 89 yards. That is worth 15 million.
All have things in common- no QB in Houston—Andrew luck was hurt all season in Indy!!!! Dez was hurt most of the season and we all know our QB situation!
Norman is a good-great corner! 15 mil ehhh not so much especially if the team that he played for while supposedly becoming a shut down corner wasn't willing to pay!! That tells a lot!
It was stated that Carolina played a lot zone- was never a man-man shut down corner-he always knew he had help over the top so he was able to cheat more! Definitely a good corner just not 15 mil great
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