Josh Norman
Photo: Stars24
One would think the Panthers would have moved mountains to keep him on the team, but because of the Panthers’ salary cap at the time, Norman found himself cut loose after the best season of his life. This time, though, the offers poured in. As many as 16 teams came after him, according to Sports Illustrated’ s Emily Kaplan.
It was the Redskins who gave him the full-court press. Owner Dan Snyder and at-the-time general manager Scot McCloughan( who’ s no longer at the helm of the team) jumped at the chance to add a worldclass cornerback to the team. After all, this is where Darrell Green, the legendary Hall of Famer and one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game, spent 19 years showing the world just how that position should be played. The team’ s front office knew that every Redskins fan had been waiting since Green retired in 2002 for the next great corner to come along— Josh Norman was that man, and as he told SI, they made him an offer he just couldn’ t refuse.
“ Being on a good team, being around good people, being around competition [ was what I wanted ],” he said.“ In D. C., I felt I could be my own person, and I could take my career further.” Not to mention the fact that Washington, D. C., is one of America’ s top 10 media markets, with a rabid fan base and a quick flight for his Atlanta-based mother and four brothers to be at the home games. All those points sold Norman on the city; it wasn’ t just the huge amount of cash on the table that convinced him to make the Redskins his new team.
“ Believe it or not, some teams offered me more money than the Redskins,” he revealed to Sports Illustrated. Gaining the national stage was certainly a factor in his decision. Norman is known for his willingness to speak his mind about the game itself, players throughout the league( particularly on Odell Beckham, Jr.), the commissioner and his rulings and much more. As such, he quickly inked a one-year deal with Fox Sports to serve as an on-air contributor to their NFL coverage. That will be his second job again this season, as he revealed to # FlyWashington.“ It was an amazing experience, and I’ m returning to Fox Sports again this season and I think it’ s going to be the best
Josh Norman
Photo: Washington Redskins
season ever! More entertaining, more informative, more excitement all around,” he said.
Being an on-screen commentator is a part of Norman’ s plans. While Darrell Green defied the odds with his lengthy NFL career, most professional football players only last for about 3.5 seasons, according to the NFL Players Association. Norman’ s career has already surpassed
FLYWASHINGTON. COM 6 AUTUMN 2017