When the Carolina Panthers planned a press conference for Thursday morning, it was meant to be their annual talk ahead of the NFL Draft. So it was fortuitous timing that it also landed on the day after they shocked the league by releasing cornerback Josh Norman from his franchise tag.

Not surprisingly, draft questions took a back seat to efforts to find out more about why the Panthers made such a drastic decision.

 

Dead End Meant Quick Goodbye

 

General manager Dave Gettleman opened with a two-page statement, which was essentially a longer version of the one the Panthers released Tuesday.

The key part:

"When we decided to place the franchise tag on Josh, we were fine with him signing it and then working on a long-term deal. As we got deeper into conversations, we realized there was a significant difference between our thoughts and theirs," Gettleman said.

"The intervening weeks gave us additional time to evaluate where we're going as a franchise with the realization that a deal was not going to get done, our internal conversations kept leading us to the fact that the 1-year deal was becoming less and less attractive."

 

Media's Fault?

 

Both Gettleman and head coach Ron Rivera claimed the decision had nothing to do with Norman's intentions to sit out through offseason workouts and potentially through training camp. Instead, they each implied the bigger distraction would be having to deal with constant questions about Norman's status. While that's an understandable concern, the Panthers have one of the smallest media contingents in the NFL.

Even though they wouldn't come right out and admit it, Norman's plans did play a part.

"We want people that are all in," Gettleman said.

 

Timing Helps Both Sides

 

It's nearly impossible to imagine Norman wouldn't have eventually signed his franchise tag tender worth $13.9 million. So why not wait out the process, even if it created a distraction?

While Rivera admitted "it does create a bit of a hole" in the secondary, Gettleman assured, "We don't play until Sept. 8."

To fill the hole, the Panthers can dip into free agency and possibly the draft. It's also a good for Norman that he can try to land on his feet before the draft. Plus, as long as he signs by the middle of May, he should help net the Panthers a 2017 comp pick.

Gettleman's also excited about the $14 million in cap space that's suddenly freed up, money he can shift to long-term deals for defensive tackles Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei. But those deals, especially Short's, had a good chance to get done even if Norman's tag was on the books.