Shaq Thompson may not know much outside of the Carolina Panthers, but he certainly knows how the NFL works.
Earlier this offseason, the veteran linebacker stayed put with the only organization he’s been with as a pro—agreeing to a restructured deal for 2024. So Thompson, who will be playing under an expiring contract, was asked about the decision after the team’s second and final outing of mandatory minicamp this afternoon.
“I love it here,” he stated on Wednesday. “I been here for nine, going on to 10 years. I mean, this is all I know. I would love to retire here, but that’s in my fate. And when I say that—I control what I control, I control myself on that field. If I play well, I stay here. If not, I’m out. I understand and know the business. This is my last year, so I’m playing for the Panthers and I’m playing for 31 other teams.
“But my main focus is, shoot, we gotta win. We gotta get more than two games. We gotta make the playoffs.”
Thompson, whose ninth year was cut short by a fractured fibula, wasn’t on the field for 15 of the team’s 17 games in 2023. The 2015 first-round pick was coming into the season relatively hot, too—as he totaled a career-high 135 tackles the campaign prior.
But even with the devastating injury, the freshly-turned 30-year-old believes he still has a good chunk of football left to play.
“I think I got about five in me,” he replied when asked how many years he thinks he has left. “I spent four behind TD [Thomas Davis] and Luke [Kuechly], broke my leg last year to add an extra year. That’s five right there.”
