Yahoo Sports:
While the Panthers respected Norman's performance in their zone coverage scheme, sources said an opinion lingered among some that Norman's skills weren't comparable to elite man-to-man cornerbacks in the league. The
specific concern was that Norman's lack of elite speed (he entered the NFL running in the 4.6-second range) and penchant for risk made him vulnerable. The belief was that Norman would always require a high-level safety capable of cleaning up his mistakes, and wasn't on the same level as the Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman, who also plays in a zone-heavy scheme. The sources said Norman was not viewed by everyone in the franchise as capable of shadowing an opponent's No. 1 receiver on a full-game basis, a la the New York Jets' Darrelle Revis.
Those types of players, full-time, man-to-man cornerbacks with top-shelf speed, rise to the top of the salary scale. Revis' $14.02 million-per-year salary reflects that, pacing all NFL defensive backs. One league source said Norman was seeking to set a new bar at the cornerback position, exceeding the Revis deal to the tune of $15 million to $16 million per year. The source added that the Panthers balked at those figures and were prepared to let Norman play out this season under the franchise tag price of $13.95 million. The source said the mindset of Panthers general manager
Dave Gettleman changed when the cornerback didn't sign the tag and ap
