How Much Should the Panthers Pay Josh Norman?
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Great players make bad players look good. Great players make good players look great, but great players playing together makes for extraordinary play! The last four games of Josh Norman’s career have been nothing short of just that extraordinary! He is a top lock down corner in the NFL who shadows the best receiver for all four quarters. The idea of being a top-flight corner in the NFL is not news to Panther fans, but now it is coming to the attention of everyone! The 2015 season is a contract year for Josh, and he elected to not sign a contract before the season’s start so he can show what he can do. It’s a gamble that has paid off so far!
At the end of the year, Norman will be looking to ink his big money deal. If I was big Dave, I would be looking to make sure it will be with the team that he has been with for years and has his best chance to shine! Now comes to the numbers part of the contract. Knowing he turned down a 7 mill per year contract already gives some ground to guess what Norman thinks his value is. It’s important to assess Norman’s value to the Panthers defense in determining if he is worth top corner money, or at least if the Panthers should be the one to spend it. When it comes to the defense, Norman is the 3rd most valuable player behind only Luke Kuechly, who is not only the top player at his position but arguable the best defensive player in the NFL, and Thomas Davis, who has been a life long Panther and brings both leadership and a huge underdog attitude.
MY OFFER: If I am Dave Gettleman, I would offer Josh Norman 5 years for 47 million dollars with 16 million guaranteed money and a 16 million dollar signing bonus. This contract would give Norman 9.5 mill per year, putting him at a top 10 contract. This offer would also include incentives for if Norman ranks in the top 10 of passer rating, where he would receive a 1.5 million dollar bonus. He would get the same bonus if he ranked top 10 in the combined categories of passes deflected and interceptions. If he met both, Norman would get 1 an additional 1 million! This contract ranks in the top contracts at the position before any incentives, roughly paying him along in line Aquib Talib (10th). If one bonus is met, he will make 11 mill, ranking him 5th. If both are met, he will rank 4th in contracts by position, comparable with Joe Haden. Not only would this contract keep Norman hungry to put up freakish stats, but it would help to keep money to put other players around him.
Josh it’s your call! X________________
By JP
Follow him on Twitter @jp_tre18