Beloved Panthers Vet Posts Goodbye After News of Carolina Split

Earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers made the surprising announcement that they will not re-sign 10-year veteran and team captain Shaq Thompson. Thompson will enter free agency in March after playing six games over the last two years because of back-to-back season-ending injuries.

When healthy, the 30-year-old is a solid linebacker and showed that in Carolina as he had a run between 2019-22 with 100-plus combined tackles. Thompson took to Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday to address Panthers fans and his playing future.

“The past 10 years have been the best of my life — wouldn’t trade them for anything,” Thompson said on Twitter. “I’m incredibly excited about the next chapter in my life. There’s still so much football left in me, I’m not retiring yet! I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Despite not having the best injury luck lately, Thompson has no plans to shut it down yet, and it's hard not to blame him for wanting to continue to play. At 30 years old, Thompson can still help a team that needs linebacker help. 

The former first-round pick might not be an every-down starter anymore, but he can still make plays in the right situation.

After posting that message on Twitter, Thompson went to Instagram to post a longer message on his time with the Panthers.

In the Instagram post, Thompson expressed his gratitude for the Panthers taking a chance on him and allowing him to play. The veteran linebacker also thanked his family and fans for their support over the years.

He also took the time to thank his teammates over the many years who he had the chance to play with. Thompson never made an All-Pro team or Pro Bowl in Carolina, but Panthers fans still loved watching him play on defense.

No one knows how free agency will play out next month, but Panthers fans will watch to see where Thompson goes next in his career.

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