The Carolina Panthers officially used their franchise tag on CB Josh Norman Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport.
All indications were that Norman was headed for the tag.
Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer recently reported that Norman was asking for “$14 million to $15 million a year” in his next contract, which could make him the highest paid cornerback in the league.
Franchising Norman will run Carolina close to $13.952 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season.
Norman, 28, is a former fifth-round pick of the Panthers back in 2012. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $2,299,000 rookie contract and would have been an unrestricted free agent next week.
In 2015, Norman appeared in all 16 games for the Panthers and recorded 56 tackles, four interceptions with two being returned for touchdowns, three forced fumbles, two recoveries, and 18 pass defenses for the Panthers. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 6 cornerback out of 118 qualifying players.
We have Norman featured in our Top 100 – 2016 Free Agents list.
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