Shaq Thompson’s contract is restructured by the Panthers to create cap space.
In the first quarter of the Carolina Panthers’ 2023 home opener, with 2 minutes and 35 seconds left, veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson was wheeled off the field. Trevor Penning, a left tackle for the New Orleans Saints, slammed Thompson’s leg after Panthers defensive end Deshawn Williams knocked him to the ground.
With a fractured fibula, Thompson would be out for the remainder of the season, thus that would be the last time we saw him. A lot of people pondered whether it would be Thompson’s final game wearing a Panthers uniform. A revised contract that would pay the second-longest-tenured Panther $3.1 million and free up about $3 million in cap space was agreed to by Thompson and the Panthers on Saturday morning.
Thompson will begin his tenth season with the team that selected him with the 25th overall pick in the 2015 draft. With 717 tackles, 52 tackles for loss, 31 quarterback hits, 26 passes defended, 12 sacks, and three interceptions during his career, Thompson has a hefty resume.
Shaq Thompson, a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, has consented to a contract restructuring. The restructure guarantees Thompson will be with the organization through at least the 2024 season—a genteel way of stating compensation cut in this case.
Thompson, the Panthers’ first-round selection in 2015, is recovering from a fibula fracture he suffered during Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints on September 18 of the previous season.
The Panthers should be appreciative of his leadership even though his on-field influence may be significantly impacted by how quickly he heals from his leg fracture. After serving as the team captain for four seasons, he is among the few leaders on the defense that are still in place. The remaining players on the roster are one-year rentals and journeymen as of right now. Not to mention the chance for some rookies to assume important roles from the start.
