It’s Josh Norman week for the Panthers.
As the Washington Redskins prepare to host the Carolina Panthers on Monday night, Norman’s response to facing his former teammates is already the big story surrounding the matchup.
“You guys know me better than anybody else and I'm pretty sure you know how this is going to go down,” Norman told the Charlotte media in a conference call, according to the Charlotte Observer.
“I’m going to come out fighting.”
General manager Dave Gettleman and the Panthers rescinded their franchise tag offer to Norman in April. That allowed Norman to become a free agent and sign with Washington on a five-year, $75 million, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
“It almost felt like I was stabbed in the back,” Norman said of Gettleman’s decision to pull the tag.
Norman did admit on Thursday that he was “salty” after Carolina pulled the tender, but said there’s “no animosity” toward the franchise.
“My personality, who I am, probably doesn't fit some people in that atmosphere with Panthers,” Norman said before adding, “here, you can button it down.”
Norman’s time in Carolina featured ups and downs, highlighted by his rise to become an all-pro cornerback last season when he intercepted four passes and returned two of those for touchdowns. He also had a training camp dust-up with Cam Newton after the quarterback took exception to Norman’s celebrating a pick-six during a practice at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.
“For people that don’t really know Josh, I think he’s a person that thrives on attention,” Newton said Wednesday. “I think you have to have that when you get into the professional realm of football.”
As far as the matchup between Norman and Newton goes, both players are expecting a test on Monday.
“He’s going to have to,” Norman told ESPN Radio0 980 when asked if he expects Newton to throw in his direction. “He doesn’t even have to. It’s just in him to do it. He’s a competitor at the highest level. If you had a bet that Cam wouldn’t throw the ball to me in any part of the game, I would take that and I would run with it, because I know he is. I know he is, 110%, because I know how competitive he is. As much as he wants to contain himself, he’s just going to let it go.”
Newton, for his part, didn’t back down when asked Wednesday about targeting Norman.
“It just depends,” Newton said. “Knowing me and Josh, it’s a high likelihood it’ll be there. But I have to control that beast.”
