Shaq Thompson is officially done in 2024.
The Carolina Panthers announced on Saturday that they have placed the veteran linebacker on injured reserve, effectively ending his 10th NFL season. Thompson tore his Achilles tendon in the Week 4 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday.
Head coach Dave Canales spoke about the loss of Thompson to start the week.
“I’m just sick for Shaq,” Canales told reporters on Monday. “A guy that really just cares so much and plays with so much passion. A vocal leader. Somebody’s who had my back through this process as I get my feet underneath me as a first-time head coach.
“And to have the support of veteran guys like this, that stand for the right things, people that I can talk to, people that I can ask to lead a charge for this thing or that thing that we’re looking to get more of. So a guy that stood for all those things—Panthers football all the way through and through.”
Thompson, the team’s first-round pick from 2015, is currently the second-longest tenured Panther.
He is set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season.
