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          Jaguars not serious contenders for Josh Norman because of 'significant' gap

          Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell said he likes Josh Norman's size (6-feet, 195 pounds), length, ball skills, and tackling ability, but doesn't feel adding the free agent cornerback would make Jacksonville's defense considerably better. AP Photo/Mike McCarn
          • Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff WriterApr 22, 2016, 07:00 PM
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              Michael DiRocco is an NFL reporter at ESPN. DiRocco covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner. You can follow DiRocco on Twitter at @ESPNdirocco.
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          JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The value that general manager Dave Caldwell has assigned to cornerback Josh Norman isn’t close to the contract the free agent is seeking, so the Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t serious contenders for Norman’s services.

          Caldwell, who said he has been in touch with Norman’s representatives, called the gap between the sides "pretty significant" in terms of money and length of contract.

          "I think there’s a lot of dynamics that go into it," Caldwell said after the Jaguars’ annual pre-draft luncheon and news conference on Friday. "I think he’s a good player. I think we just have to kind of stick to what we value."

          Norman wants to be the NFL's highest-paid cornerback. That's currently Darrelle Revis, who signed a five-year, $70.1 million contract with $39 million guaranteed with the New York Jets in 2015. Revis makes $14.02 million per year, followed by Patrick Peterson ($14.01 million annually) and Richard Sherman ($14 million annually). Norman was to make $13.952 million in 2016 under the franchise tag the Panthers removed on Wednesday.

          Caldwell said he likes Norman’s size (6-feet, 195 pounds), length, ball skills (seven interceptions and 36 pass breakups in four seasons), and tackling ability. However, he said he didn’t feel adding Norman would make the Jaguars’ defense considerably better.

          "I don’t know if it would make us significantly better," Caldwell said. "It would make us better, but to what level, I can’t qualify that."

          The Jaguars have the most cap space available ($53.66 million) of any team despite the fact that they have handed out $74.9 million in guaranteed money since March 9, with the bulk of it going to defensive tackle Malik Jackson ($42 million).

          Caldwell said the salary-cap number is misleading, because the Jaguars still must sign this year’s draft class and account for any players that go on injured-reserve, which will take about $15 million. Plus, the team wants to carry money over into 2017 for big-ticket free agents and is going to start working on a contract extension for receiver Allen Hurns, whose rookie contract expires after the 2016 season.