Josh Norman was once viewed as the best cornerback in the NFL. Nowadays he is a respectable cornerback, still top on the depth chart for the Washington Redskins, the guy that travels against opposing top wide receivers. However, he recently turned 31 years of age, and the sport of football can be grueling.
After another disappointing season that will result in no playoffs for the Redskins, it’s third straight, Norman reflected on his career, claiming he would retire from the game after winning a coveted Super Bowl title.
“When that happens, you can kiss my ass goodbye. I’m out,” the 31-year-old Norman said, per John Keim of ESPN.com. “I’ve got so many things going on outside of this. It’s almost like a steppingstone, to be honest. I’ll be bigger outside of this than I will be inside of it. Believe that.”
Norman has ventured into stardom outside of football. Earlier in 2018, he appeared on a celebrity dance show, Dancing with the Stars. He even played the Arabian Prince in the Nutcracker ballet earlier this month.
He has also been very busy with charitable work as Keim pointed out, including projects in Flint, Michigan and Africa. He also handed out clothing and toiletries to families at the Mexican border.
He stressed that he had other things that keep his mind off of the fact the Redskins have endured more losing than winning in his time with the team since 2015. While he is upset about the turn of events, essentially football is not all he has.
This season, Norman had 64 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Norman has two years remaining on his five-year, $75 million deal he signed with the Redskins in 2016. The Redskins have the option to waive him, saving $8.5 million in cap space. Keim notes the Redskins would save $11.5 million if it released him after June 1. Retaining Norman will impose a $14.5 million cap hit in 2019 for the Redskins.
Norman played in Super Bowl 50 while with the Carolina Panthers in a losing effort to Von Miller (Super Bowl MVP) and the Denver Broncos. He signed with the Redskins the next off-season after the Panthers rescinded their franchise tag on him, making him a free agent.
The Redskins haven’t won more than eight games since Norman signed with the team, going 7-9 in each of the last two seasons. Washington has some work to do if it is to get to a Super Bowl within the timeframe of Norman’s current contract.
