When the offseason began, it was unclear if linebacker Shaq Thompson would remain with the Panthers but the answer to his future came before free agency opened in March.
Thompson had one year left on his deal with a cap hit of over $24 million, but agreed to a new deal that keeps him under contract through next year while cutting his cap number by around $10 million for this season. With a new staff in Carolina, Thompson would have to learn a new defense under any circumstances and said he agreed to that change because the market for linebackers around the league offered little incentive to go somewhere that would require him to also get to know new teammates.
“Just look at the linebacker market; nobody was getting paid,” Thompson said, via Augusta Stone of the team’s website. “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 set a personal best with 135 tackles last season and having him back should help both the transition to Ejiro Evero’s scheme and the Panthers’ chances of contending in the NFC South.
