Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson is coming off the two best seasons of his eight-year career. Yet, he’s still not a lock for the 2023 roster—at least according to Joe Person.
This past weekend, The Athletic had beat writers for each of the league’s 32 teams name a potential salary cap cut. Person chose Thompson, who carries a $24.46 million cap hit for the upcoming campaign.
“Thompson is the last position player left from the Panthers’ Super Bowl season of 2015, when Thompson was a rookie playing alongside Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis,” he writes. “The former first-round pick has never reached the status of those two franchise pillars — admittedly, a high bar. But he’s been a solid player who finished his age-27 season with a career-best 135 tackles, which ranked in the top 15 in the league. Thompson also was durable, playing a full season after an offseason knee procedure. It just comes down to money for a player whose contract was restructured each of the past two offseasons. As a result, Thompson now carries the Panthers’ third-highest cap number, just behind DJ Moore ($25 million) and Taylor Moton ($24.54 million).”
Thompson is on the final season of a four-year, $54.43 million extension, one he signed in December of 2019. If he is released from that final season, the cut would save the Panthers $13.2 million while leaving $11.3 million in dead cap.
But until a move is made, or not made, Thompson already had some words of advice for those hoping he gets the axe . . .
Fans love the interaction! The real fans I love y’all and thank y’all for the support! “ the team and my self “!To the fake ones and the ones that want me “CUT”.. Remember to keep GOD in your life and get that hate out your blood. Not doing anything for you in life! #KeepPounding
— Shaq Thompson (@ShaqThompson_7) February 6, 2023
