Shaq Thompson says linebackers don't get paid, leading to Panthers return

Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has spent his entire career with the franchise. But that loyalty — while important to him — wasn’t the only factor in his decision to restructure his contract earlier in the offseason.

Thompson agreed to a reworked deal that extended his contract with the team an extra season while also lowering his cap hit. He recently told CarolinaPanthers.com why he made such a deal.

“Just look at the linebacker market; nobody was getting paid,” Thompson said. “So it was just weighing out, ‘Do I want to be here, or do I want to go somewhere else? Do I want to be with my brothers, who I went to war with, or do I want to go to a different team and meet new people?’ And shoot, I’m a big loyal guy. So I stayed with my brothers. I was like, ‘Man, I’d rather win with you guys. Or if I lose, I’d rather lose with y’all. I definitely want to win a Super Bowl, but I want to win one with them. I don’t want to win one with nobody else.”

Thompson was drafted with the 25th overall selection of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Panthers out of Washington. He has finished with over 100 tackles in each of the past four seasons.

The 2022 season was arguably the best one of his career personally as he finished with a career-high 135 total tackles to go along with four passes defended and a forced fumble.

However, it has been long time since Thompson has played playoff football. As a rookie, Thompson helped the Panthers on their run to Super Bowl 50, where they were defeated by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Carolina has made the playoffs just once since then in 2017.

It is a new era for the Panthers this season, along with a division that looks as unstable as it has been in years. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for a new quarterback after Tom Brady‘s second retirement. The New Orleans Saints are hoping Derek Carr is the answer at quarterback after missing the playoffs the past two seasons. There are plenty of questions surrounding the Atlanta Falcons, who also haven’t made the playoffs since 2017.

That could lead to some potential excitement late into the season in Charlotte with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young set to take over at quarterback.