When March 12, 2025, rolls around, it’s the beginning of a new year in the league. This date also marks the start of the highly anticipated free agency period. Teams everywhere will be eager to reach out to free agents and get those player signatures on contracts.
Over in Charlotte, the Carolina Panthers have made a pivotal decision regarding their seasoned linebacker, Shaq Thompson. They’ve informed him that, come this offseason, he won’t be getting a new contract from them. This announcement turns him into a free agent, making the 30-year-old linebacker available for teams looking to bolster their rosters for the 2025 season. The big question now is: which team will seize the opportunity to sign the seasoned defender?
In a noteworthy update, one of the Panthers’ defensive stalwarts, Shaq Thompson, is set to hit the free agent market. This comes directly from NFL insider Ian Rapoport’s Twitter feed, underscoring this major shift for the Panthers’ defense.
Thompson, a first-round pick back in 2015, was selected 25th overall by Carolina, coming in from Washington. Over his career, he’s taken the field in 123 games and has made his presence felt as a starter in 112 of those matchups. Unfortunately, his last two seasons with the team came to untimely ends due to injuries. Before these setbacks, Thompson was remarkably consistent, never playing less than 14 games in any of his first eight seasons.
However, those durable days hit a snag as injuries plagued his 2023 and 2024 seasons. In the second week of the 2023 season, he suffered a broken ankle, sidelining him for the remaining 15 games. Then, in 2024’s Week 4 against the Bengals, he tore his Achilles – another devastating blow. After a challenging couple of years, the Panthers decided it was time to move forward without him on the roster.
With this shift, Thompson is now facing an entirely new situation in his professional journey. For the very first time, he’s open to playing for a different team. While he may not be in his prime following two tough injuries, his skills haven’t vanished. Last season, in the four games that he started, he managed to rack up 35 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit. Given the circumstances, any contract he might be offered likely won’t exceed the veteran minimum—which is $1.2 million for players with over seven years in the NFL. It will be interesting to see who decides to take a chance on Thompson and where he eventually lands for the upcoming season.
