AP

From the moment when Panthers cornerback Josh Norman declared himself one of the five best cornerbacks of all time, and asked for a deal in the $16 million a year range, you kind of got the sense this one wasn’t going to go smoothly.

So it’s no surprise that he’s not going to show up next week when the Panthers open their offseason program, according to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review.

He said as much in March, which makes the news something less than breaking. And with him and the team seemingly pretty far apart in their valuation — General Manager Dave Gettleman has a number in mind, and he’s not crossing that line — the only real questions are when Norman will show up.

The July 15 deadline for a long-term deal seems moot, since it’s unlikely the two sides will ever bridge the gap in what they think he’s worth. So Norman’s presence for the start of training camp is the next big milestone.

Norman’s working out on his own, which of course jeopardizes the $13.9 million he’d be guaranteed under the tag this year, in the unfortunate event he’s hurt while not under contract.

But that’s apparently a risk he’s willing to take.