The San Francisco 49ers are still making personnel moves just a few days before the start of the 2021 season, bringing in Josh Norman to bolster their secondary depth. The team announced on Monday that they had signed the former All-Pro cornerback to a one-year deal. The 49ers opted to release veteran cornerback Dontae Johnson to make room for Norman.
The addition of Norman provides much-needed depth to a 49ers cornerback group that only has rookies Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas as backups to nickel corner K'Waun Williams and outside starters Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley.
Norman can earn up to $2.5 million in the 49ers deal
Norman took to social media over the weekend to tease his impending move to San Francisco. He first tweeted on Friday, "Wonder what's the temperature in Cali right about now." Norman sent a follow-up tweet on Sunday, saying that he is in the final hours before breaking point and that a decision has finally been made.
That decision was to sign a deal with the 49ers. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Norman can earn up to $2.5 million in his new contract, with the base value of his deal with San Francisco just above the minimum.
The 49ers will be Norman's fourth NFL team in his long and illustrious pro career. He first made waves with the Carolina Panthers, spending five seasons there. Norman established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the league during his stay with the Panthers, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2015, the same year Carolina won the NFC title and earned a Super Bowl 50 appearance.
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Norman looking to make an impact with San Francisco
Norman then moved to the Washington Football Team for a four-season stint before joining the Buffalo Bills last season. The 33-year-old started three games for the Bills last year and made a total of 12 appearances for them, including the playoffs.
Norman recorded 24 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception in the nine regular-season games he played for Buffalo. That interception was memorable for Bills fans as that came in Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins, with Norman recording a 16-yard pick-six.
Even though his glory years are past him now, Norman is still a great addition to a San Francisco 49ers team plagued by injuries last season. They struggled right out of the gate in their previous campaign due to various player injuries, finishing the season in the last place in the NFC West with a 6-10 slate, a disappointing outcome given that they came so close to winning the Super Bowl the previous year.
The 49ers will look for a much better performance this time around, with Norman expected to play a crucial role. They open their regular season campaign on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
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