You probably wouldn’t believe what Josh Norman was doing before his return to the NFL this month.
The 35-year-old is back with the Carolina Panthers, who drafted him in 2012, and will hope to make an impact. Norman, 35, was signed to the Panthers’ practice squad after Jayce Horn suffered a broken wrist while playing against the Detroit Lions in Week 16.
The Panthers are gearing up for a showdown vs. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that could go on to decide how things shape up for the playoffs in the NFC South. And Norman could start.
Norman has revealed to reporters that he had been working as a barista at a coffee shop he owns in Atlanta before he returned to the Panthers. Per The Athletic, the cornerback started on plans for his business, Omni Coffee & Eggs, after the COVID-19 pandemic struck. He’d been working there while hoping to get that call to return to the league.
“I was in a coffee shop working. It was pretty cool, I was a barista,” he said. “That’s a whole ‘nother story for another day. This part, for me, it was just exciting. Because I knew it was only a matter of time. Suitors for me, it was just like playoffs, when we got through that time seeing who was gonna be viable. This came up, and like I said, I couldn’t even write this script even better than what it is.
“We’ve got an opportunity here to do something great. All that time I was sitting down was just like reflecting on all of it. And when the time came, yeah, was just gonna be ready.”’
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Norman’s coffee shop is right across the street from former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s cigar bar, Fellaship.
“We actually are great business pals, I’ll say that,” Norman noted. “He’s across the street, I’m on the other side of the street.”
Selected by Carolina in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Norman blossomed into a formidable CB. He played an instrumental role in the team’s 15-1 season in 2015 that saw them reach the Super Bowl.
The 35-year-old was a First-Team All-Pro, as well as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year that season but would leave after a falling out with GM Dave Gettleman. He’s since played for Washington, Buffalo, and San Francisco.
