Panthers Veteran Makes First Comments About Future With Team
The Carolina Panthers offseason has begun. The door has closed on the 2024 season, going 5-12 in the first season under Dave Canales. This team owns the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will have $29 million in cap space to play with.
GM Dan Morgan and Canales will have their full as they look to build a competitive team for the 2025 season and beyond. The Panthers will also have several players on the team headed towards free agency.
Linebacker Shaq Thompson is one of these guys but he wants to be in Carolina for the long haul and made that known. Following Week 18's 44-38 win over the Atlanta Falcons, players spoke with reporters on Monday and expressed his desire to return to Carolina in 2025.
Thompson said, "Yeah, I would love to end my career here. One of the guys in history to play with one team. It’s up to them. These two injuries were fluky. Everyone knows about the one last year and, of course, about the one this year. There’s nothing I can do. But it happened, get better, come back strong."
In 2023, Thompson broke his fibula, then tore his Achilles in 2024. These devastating injuries have been limited to just six games over the last two seasons. The Washington product was drafted with the 25th overall pick by Carolina in the 2015 NFL Draft, suiting up in at least 14 games from 2015-2022.
Thompson has been a consistent and impactful player for the Panthers, ranking third in team history in solo tackles (470) with 54 TFLs, 32 QB hits, 26 pass deflections, 12 sacks, and four forced fumbles.
The 30-year-old has been apart of two postseason runs with the Panthers, which included the Super Bowl in 2015. He's one of the veteran voices who carry weight in the locker room. Bringing him back on a one-year deal is something that should be in the cards for the Panthers. And it's something he's open to.
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