Carolina Panthers standout linebacker Shaq Thompson (Achilles), who was playing his best football early on this year, is believed to have torn his Achilles in the Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and is out for the season, according to sources. Thompson is undergoing an MRI exam on Monday to confirm the devastating injury. The 30-year-old former 25th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft out of Washington had recorded 35 tackles (19 solo) in the first four games in 2024 after playing in just two games last year. It's a massive blow the rest of the way for a Panthers defense that already had plenty of question marks. Thompson will eventually be placed on Injured Reserve and will have surgery on his torn Achilles. Fantasy managers will want to target Carolina's defense even more so moving forward in 2024.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (leg) was carted to the locker room during the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team has not yet announced any sort of update or designation pertaining to the veteran's injury. At the time of his departure, he had recorded five tackles. Claudin Cherelus and Trevin Wallace are candidates to earn more snaps for the duration of Thompson's absence.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (leg), offensive guard Austin Corbett (knee), pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney and running back Tarik Cohen (Achilles) have all been taking part in drills during voluntary offseason workouts this week. Meanwhile, offensive guard Chandler Zavala (knee) and linebackers D.J. Wonnum (quadriceps) Amare Barno (knee) weren't participating in drills. Thompson, who suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 last year against the New Orleans Saints, is the most notable name of this group. The 30-year-old should be ready to go for training camp and the preseason later this year as long as he doesn't suffer a setback before then. The former 25th overall pick in 2015 out of Washington recorded 100-plus combined tackles in each of his previous four seasons with Carolina before getting hurt in 2023.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson had his contract restructured, reducing his base pay in 2024 to $3.1 million with $1.7 million guaranteed to help clear around $3 million in salary cap space for this season. The former 25th overall pick by the Panthers in 2015 out of Washington played in only two games last year before suffering a season-ending fractured fibula against the New Orleans Saints. The 29-year-old had a run of four straight seasons with 100-plus combined tackles before getting hurt in 2023. Thompson also restructured his contract with the Panthers last offseason, which gave him an extra year with the team. He'll be entering his 10th season in Carolina and he's started in 108 of his 119 career games, totaling 717 combined tackles, 12 sacks, three interceptions and four forced fumbles over nine NFL seasons.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (fibula) suffered a fractured fibula in the team's loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday. The 29-year-old underwent surgery to repair the injury and will miss the remainder of the 2023 season. Thompson has been a reliable run-stopper for Carolina since entering the league in 2015 as a first-round pick. In his absence, Kamu Grugier-Hill will start at linebacker. Carolina's run defense could take a step back moving forward.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (leg) is feared to have a suffered a fractured fibula in Monday's game versus the New Orleans Saints. The 29-year-old will have additional tests on Tuesday to clarify the extent of the injury and determine whether or not he could be able to return this year. It coincides with a previous report that head coach Frank Reich deemed the setback a "significant" one following the Week 3 loss. Kamu Grugier-Hill could enter the starting mix among Carolina's linebackers, but it's a crucial loss defensively for a rebuilding Panthers roster. After being picked on by Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in Week 1 and Tony Jones Jr. in Week 2, Carolina's D may be devolving into a unit to target for fantasy running backs going forward.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (ankle) suffered an injury to his ankle on Monday night in the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints that is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season, according to sources. Thompson will undergo tests on Tuesday to get more information, but head coach Frank Reich called the injury "significant." Not only did the Panthers lose their second straight game to begin the season, but now they're expected to be without one of their best defensive playmakers for the remainder of the year. The 29-year-old led Carolina's D in 2022 with a career-high 135 tackles in 17 games, so they are going to need someone else to step up in the middle of their defense the rest of the way.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (shin) suffered a shin injury early in the Monday night game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 and is doubtful to return. It's not a surprise that Thompson won't return to this contest after he needed to be carted off the field after Trevor Penning landed on his leg. Losing the former first-rounder for the rest of the game and possibly longer could be a big blow to a sneaky good Panthers defense. Kamu Grugier-Hill has moved to middle linebacker with Thompson likely out for the rest of Monday night's divisional clash. The 29-year-old Thompson led Carolina in 2022 with a career-high 135 tackles in 17 regular season games.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson agreed to have his contract restructured. The veteran was entering the final season of his contract and was in danger of getting released, primarily since retaining him would result in a nearly $25 million cap hit. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Thompson's new deal is for two years. Although the terms of the agreement weren't made public, it's assumed the transaction will provide Carolina with some much-needed salary cap relief this offseason while keeping Thompson, who finished the 2022-23 campaign with a career-high 135 total tackles.
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said that linebacker Shaq Thompson (knee) will start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list after having a knee cleanup. Thompson will be out a couple weeks, according to Rhule. Thompson has three straight seasons of 100-plus tackles despite missing three games in 2021 with a foot injury. Last year, he had 104 tackles (65 solo), two sacks, nine tackles for loss, six QB hits, two interceptions and five passes defensed in 14 games. He might be a little slow out of the gates in 2022 if he's not at 100 percent, but Thompson should still be on the IDP radar after finishing as the No. 29 fantasy linebacker last season.
