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News recently broke that All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman will have the franchise tag removed by the Carolina Panthers, and fans all over the league immediately took to social media, pleading for their team to make a move.
When your squad has a desperate need at a position and one of the best becomes available, your mind shuts out all logic and you adopt the gotta-have-him mentality.
Signing Norman would go a long way towards solving the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ secondary problems but the price just may not be right.
The Steelers unofficially have a ceiling of $164.6 million, which means they have around $11 million to play with in 2016. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s contract demands the most with a cap hit of $23.95 million. Norman would’ve made north of $13 million in 2016 under the franchise tag, which pays the designated player the average salary of the top-five highest paid players at his position. Norman considers himself to be an elite corner, so logically he would demand a salary somewhere in the ballpark of $13 million. Maybe more.
It’s a pretty deep draft in terms of first-round cornerback talent, so Pittsburgh will likely look there instead. If history is any indication, the Rooney family as well as the rest of the front office won’t be willing to overspend in free agency. Especially on someone with questionable character. The team cut ties with former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes for just a late-round pick following an off-the-field incident. Granted, that pick turned into Antonio Brown, but my point holds.
The team may make an inquiry, but I believe that’s as far as it’ll go. Look for them to fill the hole on draft day rather than through free agency.
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