CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman believes you win on defense by pressuring the quarterback with the front seven, particularly the front four. If you're going to spend big money outside of the quarterback spot, that's where he believes it should go.
His track record proves that. Gettleman also is a no-nonsense kind of guy when it comes to contract negotiations and distractions. His track record proves that too.
That created a not-so-perfect storm for Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman, now a former member of the Panthers. On Wednesday, Gettleman rescinded the $13.952 million franchise tag that Norman never signed. The decision came two days after reports surfaced that Norman would skip the start of offseason workouts, which are scheduled to begin Monday.
Missing the start of OTAs wouldn't have created a huge distraction, but had this lingered into training camp, it would have become one. And it would have lingered because the Panthers had no intention of giving Norman the long-term deal he sought in the $15 million-$16 million per year range.
The only offer Gettleman made was closer to $11 million, almost $3 million less than the tag number. He hadn't budged and showed no signs that he would.
"Every signing that I make, especially big signings, sends a message downstairs [to the locker room]," Gettleman said last month at the NFL owners meeting. "I have to think about it."
Think about this: To pay Norman $15 million-$16 million would have elevated the 28-year-old well above the $12.3 million a year middle linebacker Luke Kuechly signed for a year ago. Kuechly is a three-time Pro Bowler and the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. At 25, he is already one of the top players in team history.
Norman didn't emerge as a star until late in the 2014 season. He didn't really emerge until this past season, when he was selected to his first Pro Bowl. That's not to suggest Norman isn't worth $15 million a year. He'll probably get close to that, but Norman wasn't worth that to Gettleman.
Asked at the owners meeting what message it would send if he signed Norman to a deal bigger than Kuechly's, Gettleman had one of those long pauses he's known for. This one lasted seven seconds.
"Everybody has a role, OK?" Gettleman finally said. "You know, there's a market for everybody."
Gettleman wasn't in the market for the top-paid corner in the NFL, which Norman would have been if he got more than the $14 million a year the New York Jets are paying Darrelle Revis. Gettleman hasn't spent big money on a defensive back since he took over in January 2013. He let cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and safety Mike Mitchell go in free agency after the 2013 season, when their prices became too high.
The Panthers went 15-1 and reached the Super Bowl last season with Norman their highest paid cornerback at $1.59 million and safety Roman Harper their highest paid defensive back at $1.8 million. Not breaking the bank on defensive backs is a philosophy that has worked for Gettleman, and he seems content to continue with it.
Now he is more than $31 million under the cap, so he has room to sign defensive tackle Kawann Short to a long-term deal. Short, who led the team with 11 sacks last season, is one of those big guys up front who Gettleman believes wins on defense. Short will get his money.
Carolina has only five cornerbacks on the roster now, and none is close to the superstar level of Norman. As such, Gettleman will have another chance to test his philosophy. He'll need to add talent. He could use the 30th pick in the draft on a corner. There are a few -- Florida State's Jalen Ramsey, Florida's Vernon Hargreaves III and Ohio State's Eli Apple -- who have first-round grades. But Ramsey is expected to go in the top five or 10 and Hargreaves not far after that. They'll likely be gone by Gettleman's turn.
In all likelihood, Gettleman will snag another defensive end or tackle to create the pressure that makes average corners look good. Whatever he decides, he won't deal with the potential distraction that Norman's situation could have created.
Not that Gettleman expected this. He said at the owners meeting that there would be no issues. He said he was "very comfortable" with Norman playing under the tag. He seemed resigned to that happening.
That all changed when Norman didn't sign the tag and it became apparent that a long-term deal wouldn't be reached.
That put Norman in the middle of the not-so-perfect storm that ended his career with Carolina just as it was taking off.