Patriots Should Stay Away From CB Josh Norman

Huge news today in the NFL, as the Carolina Panthers rescinded their franchise tag offer from Josh Norman, making him the most popular free agent in the league.

After this news broke, the inevitable happened, as Pats fans all over immediately began clamoring for the team to sign him. And as enticing as that is, the Pats should, and will stay far away from him.

First off, New England doesn’t have the cap room to sign a talent like Norman. He will want around $16 million a year, and there is a good chance he will get more than that. The Patriots are currently hovering around $6 million in cap space.

In addition to this, I like where the Pats’ secondary is right now, especially when you consider how inexpensive it is. Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Darryl Roberts, Justin Coleman, Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung make up a very talented group, and with the exception of D-Mac, all of those guys are playing for (relatively speaking) pennies.

Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest roster builder of all-time. He knows that you need depth and value to sustain success in the NFL, and never mortgaging your future for one star player. That is why the Pats have been the best in the league for 15 years, and that is why he shouldn’t go after Norman.

I think this was a very good move by the Panthers’ GM, as it sets a tone to the rest of the team, showing he won’t be pushed around by any one player. That is how you build a team to sustain success down the road. If he caved and paid Norman, that would leave countless roster holes that would ultimately come back to bite him in January.

With all of that said, if Norman wants to take a MAJOR pay-cut to play in New England, we’ll welcome you with open arms. But since money was reportedly the reason he was let go in Carolina, I don’t think that will happen.