Shortly before the Carolina Panthers went to training camp last summer, general manager Dave Gettleman said something that stuck with me throughout the season.

"Shutdown corner is a misnomer. There’s very few of them. It’s so hard. You can’t cover forever," he told me. "If there’s no pass rush, there’s no shutdown corners."

Gettleman has forgotten more about football than most of us will ever know, but during his end-of-season press conference Tuesday, I was curious if the season cornerback Josh Norman just finished did anything to change his mind.

"Josh had a good season," Gettleman said, before turning the Q&A around.

"You tell me what you mean by a shutdown corner."

OK.

"You put a guy on a team's No. 1 receiver and don't worry about it the entire game," I said.

The reverse Q&A wasn't over.

Gettleman asked: "How many shutdown corners are there in the NFL?" 

"You told me you felt there was only one right now."

Now remember, that conversation was before Norman's breakout season. To see someone like Darrell Revis on another team is one thing. To watch Norman do Revis-like things on your own is another. But that hasn't put a dent in Gettleman's philosophy about a shutdown corner's value versus an entire roster.

"At the end of the day what people forget is — you know that wide receiver he's covering? He gets paid to play, too," Gettleman said.

"Being a shutdown corner — you need help. This is not a game you play alone. You're not a batter looking at the pitcher. There's a whole lot more to it than that, trust me."

So while he's evaluating what to do with Norman, who's set to become a free agent, Gettleman has to weigh the importance of one great player with factors that help that make him great.

"You’re never only one player away," Gettleman said. "I know you people look at me like I have brain damage but you’re not. I’ve seen it over and over and over again."

 

 

Norman has earned a big payday this offseason, but it's likely that'll come in the form of one fat check instead of a long-term deal. Not only has his GM spent peanuts on the secondary the past three offseasons, but Norman turns 29 in December. That's not an age that makes a guy 'must lock up' status.

Odds are this is what will play out the next few weeks:

—The two sides will spend some time negotiating.

—Norman will want much more than $7 million a year he was offered last summer.

—The Panthers will balk at what "much more" comes out to.

—Gettleman will use his franchise tag to keep Norman around another season.

The Panthers have until March 1 to use the tag, which for cornerbacks in 2016 will be between $13 and $14 million. Gettleman brought out the tag once when he gave defensive end Greg Hardy $13.1 million in 2014. That obviously didn't work out well for the Panthers, but it won't keep Gettleman from using it again.

"I’m not shy, I’m not afraid of it," he said.

"I’ll use whatever mechanism is available. That’s part of roster building. You look at this team we’ve put together and it’s been through the draft, after draft signings, unrestricted free agent signings, street free agent signings, trades, claims. We’ve done it all. We’ll do what we think is in the best interest of the Carolina Panthers."

Even if that includes renting a guy who, depending on your definition of one, may or may not be a shutdown corner.