The Josh Norman sweepstakes are over before they could even really begin. The free agent cornerback has agreed to terms on a contract with Washington. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo are reporting it is a five year deal worth $75 million. Garafolo tweeted that Norman gets $51 million over the first three years, and is now the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. There is no word on his guaranteed money.
He started his free agent tour with Washington on Friday, but clearly they offered him what he wanted right off the bat. The San Francisco 49ers were rumored to be interested as well, viewed by many as a co-front runner with Washington. There were other teams mentioned as monitoring the situation, and eventually the Saints emerged ahead of the 49ers.
This result could be the 49ers not wanting to pay what Norman wanted, or Norman thinks the situation is right in Washington and it's not worth checking out anywhere else.
Whatever the case, the 49ers will not be signing another free agent cornerback. The 49ers were reportedly interested in Sean Smith and Casey Hayward, but nothing came of either of those. And so, the 49ers head toward the 2016 NFL Draft with their same cornerbacks from last season, and a bunch of draft picks if they want to add another. I suspect we see at least one or two more cornerbacks on the roster, and it will be intriguing to see where they are added in the draft and/or undrafted free agency.