Josh Norman: Should Vikings make a run at All-Pro CB?

Josh Norman is a free agent after having his franchise tag pulled by the Carolina Panthers, and multiple teams are said to be interested.

Not surprisingly, a whole list of suitors has queued up to make a run at former Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. Wednesday, the Panthers gave up trying to hash out a long-term deal with the All-Pro and yanked his franchise tag designation, making him a free agent.

How much money is Josh Norman seeking? All the money, according to insiders.

Norman’s huge price tag will immediately eliminate certain teams from contention, mainly those with limited cap space and/or prudent fiscal approaches.

Right now, the leading candidates to sign Norman are believed to be the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Niners are thought of as the favorites by virtue of their $52 million in cap space.

Where do the Minnesota Vikings fit into this picture? Right now, they don’t.

Thus far there have been no reports about the Vikings showing interest in Norman. The Vikes currently have $9.6 million in cap space per Over the Cap, so they’d have to get a bit creative to sign Norman. The Vikings’ overall philosophy of not pursuing high-priced free agents would presumably disqualify them from this race anyway.

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The Vikes made no noise about pursuing a big-time cornerback during free agency and I don’t see why they would suddenly do a 180 and go after one now, especially not one whose price is sure to be driven through the roof.

Norman is a good player, but the Vikings already have a pair of talented young cornerbacks in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes who could develop into a nice tandem. The Vikes have veteran depth at the position with Captain Munnerlyn and Terence Newman. Making a run at Norman would make absolutely no sense on any level.