Could CB Josh Norman be heading to Los Angeles?

Should the Los Angeles Rams be targeting Super Bowl CB Josh Norman? 

It was a very surprising April 20th in the NFL as the Carolina Panthers escinded the non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman Wednesday. With this move, Norman now becomes an unrestricted free agent. Wednesday the Panthers released a statement about the Super Bowl cornerback

“After a number of conversations with Josh’s agent we realized that a long-term deal was not attainable,” general manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement. “We have decided to rescind the franchise tag freeing Josh to immediately become a UFA. We thank Josh for all his contributions and truly wish him well.”

It’s very strange that the Panthers could be letting Norman walk like this, but the full story has not been fully released yet. Teams just don’t get rid of your best defensive player for nothing, especially with a trade-heavy draft coming up that could have led to some nibbles from other teams. Still, don’t expect Norman to be on the open market for long — a source informed of the situation told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport that teams started contacting Norman within an hour of the Panthers‘ announcement.

The Los Angeles Rams have one of the most fearful defensive lines in the game today, should they also beef up the secondary? They placed the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson but were unable to keep their other cornerback Janoris Jenkins as he chased the money and landed with the New York Giants. Norman does have a physical style of playing, and would be a good fit for the very aggressive Gregg Williams’ defense. 

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But is Norman worth the cost…The corner was in line to make $13.952 million under the franchise tag, but Norman is likely trying to become the highest paid at his position. The names of Darrell Revis, Patrick Peterson, Janoris Jenkins and Richard Sherman all have the big time contracts, and by the looks of it Norman wants to join the party.

Sports columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News & host at The Beast 980 AM Vincent Bonsignore said Norman joining the Rams could be a possibility. The Rams currently have $12 million in cap space, with the move back to Los Angeles and the ‘Hard Knocks’ deal, it could be a good deal for the loud mouth CB.

Should the Los Angeles Rams reach out to Josh Norman, I think so. Might as well throw out an option. Imagine Johnson and Norman working side by side, could be a deadly combo. However the Rams should not go out of their own way to try and sign him. There is a reason Norman left the Panthers, he wants the money. The Rams tried to re-sign Jenkins, but he too left for the money. I don’t think the Rams organization want to go through another money hungry player.

Should the Los Angeles Rams go after CB Josh Norman? Leave your reasoning in the comments below.