Panthers moving on from veteran LB Shaq Thompson
February 24 - The Carolina Panthers will not re-sign veteran outside linebacker Shaq Thompson, allowing the former first-round draft pick to enter free agency.
"We appreciate Shaq's leadership and dedication over the past 10 seasons, general manager Dan Morgan said in a statement Monday. "Always a source of passion and enthusiasm, he was committed to this organization on and off the field, poured into his teammates, and strived to bring out the best in them.
"We wish Shaq the best as he moves forward with his career."
Injuries limited Thompson, 30, to four games in 2024 (torn Achilles) and two games in 2023 (broken ankle).
He has recorded 752 tackles, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles and three interceptions in 123 games (112 starts) since Carolina drafted him with the 25th overall pick in 2015 out of Washington.
Thompson helped the Panthers reach Super Bowl 50 during his rookie season and climbed to fourth place in team history in tackles, trailing Luke Kuechly (1,092), Thomas Davis (1,077) and Mike Minter (771).
Thompson, who turns 31 in April, told reporters in January that he hoped to end his career with Carolina.
"Be one of those guys in history that played with one team. But it's up to them," he said. "These two injuries ... it happens. All I can do is get better and come back strong."
Thompson played last season on a one-year, $3.1 million deal, per Spotrac. The five-time team captain tallied 35 tackles in four starts before injuring his Achilles in a Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
--Field Level Media
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Nationals mash 5 homers to topple Dodgers
June 22 - Nathaniel Lowe hit two home runs, James Wood and Luis Garcia Jr. hit back-to-back long balls in the fourth inning and the visiting Washington Nationals turned five total homers into a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. CJ Abrams added a home run for the second consecutive night as the Nationals won for just the second time in their last 14 games. Right-hander Jake Irvin (6-3) gave up two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts. Andy Pages, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez hit home runs for the Dodgers, who lost for the second time in eight games and dropped to 2-3 against the Nationals this season. Right-hander Dustin May (4-5) gave up three home runs, all solo shots, in six innings for Los Angeles. The Nationals had just one hit when Wood opened the fourth inning with a 451-foot home run to center field. It was his team-leading 21st homer of the season and his fourth in five games against the Dodgers. One pitch later, Garcia hit a home run to center, his seventh. The Dodgers had just two hits off Irvin into the fifth inning when Pages led off with a home run, extending his career-high total to 16. Lowe went deep against May to lead off the sixth for a 3-1 lead, the 100th of his career, before Smith responded for the Dodgers in the bottom of the sixth with a home run to center, his ninth. Irvin departed after he struck out Teoscar Hernandez following Smith's home run. It was his second solid start at Los Angeles in two seasons after he held the Dodgers to six scoreless innings at Dodger Stadium last April. Abrams' two-run home run in the seventh put Washington up 5-2. Lowe finished off his first multi-homer game of the season in a two-run eighth. Hernandez hit his 14th home run of the season for Los Angeles just inside the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning. --Field Level Media
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
Wings look to keep momentum going in visit to Mystics
June 22 - After a demoralizing 1-11 start, the Dallas Wings have sparked hope ahead of Sunday's afternoon road game against the Washington Mystics. Dallas has tripled its win total by claiming its last two games, including a June 17 win over the Golden State Valkyries and a victory in Connecticut on Friday. Though its most recent win against a struggling Sun team doesn't seem impressive on paper, how they pulled off the win is. Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington, the Wings' second and third-leading scorers, combined for 12 points on 4-for-18 shooting from the field. Guard Aziaha James stepped up amid the stars' offensive struggles, pouring in a season-high 17 points and a team-best 7-for-8 from the free throw line. "I've been shying from attacking the rim in these past few games, so I just had to turn (on) a different mode," James said after Friday's win. This year's first overall pick Paige Bueckers has been as advertised. The UConn standout leads the Wings in points, assists and steals per game, and has recorded consecutive 20-point games in their pair of wins. The Wings' bench pieces working in tandem with Bueckers, Ogunbowale and Carrington may be the key to continuing their win streak. Washington (5-8) has had a mixed bag of results lately. The Mystics beat the Sun by 37 points on June 8, then lost to the Atlanta Dream by 33 points just a week later. In their most recent two games, they've fallen down early and had to play from behind. They faced a 15-point deficit after the first quarter against the Chicago Sky on June 17, then held the Sky to 28 second-half points to complete the rally. Washington was down by 13 in Friday's game against the Dream and stormed back with a 31-point fourth quarter, yet fell just short in a 92-91 loss. Washington's top-two scorers, Brittney Sykes (20.6) and rookie Sonia Citron (13.6), were consistent over the two games, notching double-digit points in both. The Mystics' other pieces, however, were spotty. Shakira Austin took over the fourth quarter in the loss to the Dream, scoring 13 points on 6-for-7 from the field. But apart from Austin's 28-point performance in Atlanta, Washington hasn't seen a double-digit scoring performance from anyone outside of Sykes and Citron. Much like the Wings, depth may be the determining factor for Washington in Sunday's matchup. --Field Level Media
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Mariners C Cal Raleigh breaks 55-year HR mark set by Johnny Bench
June 21 - Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh surpassed legendary Johnny Bench for most homers before the All-Star break by a primary catcher when he hit two against the Chicago Cubs in Friday's 9-4 victory. Raleigh has 29 homers to break a record that stood for 55 years. Hall of Famer Bench hit 28 in 87 games as the Cincinnati Reds' primary catcher before the 1970 All-Star break. Raleigh has passed that mark in just 73 games. Raleigh was honored to have his name associated with Bench, considered one of the top catchers in the history of the sport. "Any time you're mentioned even in the same sentence as one of the best -- if not the best -- to ever do it is obviously a special, special thing," Raleigh said. "So I'm just very grateful." Raleigh said he met Bench last November at a Gold Glove Award ceremony in New York. He said a big part of their discussion revolved around durability. Raleigh, 28, has missed just one of Seattle's 74 games this season. In addition to his major-league-leading homer total, Raleigh has 63 RBIs and a .273 average. He established career bests of 34 homers and 100 RBIs last season. Raleigh is in position to make a run at Salvador Perez's single-season homer record for a primary catcher. Perez slammed 48 in 2021. Raleigh hit a solo homer in the first and a two-run shot in the seventh on Friday. --Field Level Media
