The Washington Redskins made a seriously massive splash back in the 2016 offseason. They signed superstar cornerback Josh Norman, in an attempt to become legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
At the time, there was a serious argument for Norman being the best cornerback in football. However, he did not live up to the contract. Norman had his moments in those years; his first season certainly wasn't bad. By the end of it, though, Norman wasn't even playing.
It seemed like a certainty that he would be cut this offseason. Then Ron Rivera was made the coach, and suddenly that brought this into question. Rivera coached Norman with the Carolina Panthers, so maybe he would elect to keep the cornerback.
Instead, the Redskins went ahead and stuck with the plan to cut Norman.
According to Zachary Neel of RedskinsWire.com, Rivera explained why.
Rivera's reasoning is extremely simple, the Redskins wanted to get younger. That makes a lot of sense. If you want to get younger, you likely won't keep around a 32-year-old cornerback who is getting paid loads of money while his performance declines.
Norman very well could still have some good football left in him. Washington is in a spot where they couldn't really spend that money to find out, though.
Releasing Norman freed up quite a bit of money for the Redskins. They can use that to find some younger defensive backs, or fill holes elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the draft will help them refuel as well.
Norman's future was in limbo when Rivera was hired. The Redskins decided to pull the trigger and release him anyway, though.
Now Norman can look for a fresh start somewhere else, while Washington can move forward with a younger group.
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