Panthers Rescind Franchise Tag On All-Pro Norman

The Carolina Panthers rescinded the franchise tag that they placed on Josh Norman. Panthers GM Dave Gettleman said that the flexibility he got in removing Norman's cap number and the fact that a long-term deal could not be reached lead to the decision. The All-Pro CB was seeking between $15 million and $16 million a year, but that was clearly an issue with Carolina. The Panthers now have approximately $31 million in cap space, and with that flexibility they can now sign All-Pro DT Kawann Short to a long-term deal. As a Panthers fan I am disappointed that they could not work out a deal and that they felt the need to remove the franchise tag. I hope there is some way that Norman comes to his senses and comes back with a more reasonable number for Dave Gettleman to work with, but it is not looking good right now. This will be a huge loss because Norman was such an integral part in the Panthers Super Bowl run last season and without him it puts the Panthers defensive backfield in a scary position due to the lack of experience and quality depth at the corner spot.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15288337/panthers-gm-dave-gettleman-discusses-decision-rescind-tag-josh-norman