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New Washington coach Ron Rivera has been surrounding himself with old friends from his Panthers days.

That will not extend to the field, at least in the case of Josh Norman.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Washington is releasing the veteran cornerback.

Norman was in the doghouse last year, and didn’t play down the stretch. Some might have thought having his old coach in town would help, but his $12 million salary was deemed more than they wanted to pay for the former Pro Bowler.

This gives Norman a head start on free agency, much like former Panthers teammate Greg Olsen (who is negotiating with Washington, Seattle, and Buffalo as we speak).