Shaq Thompson

30-Year-Old LinebackerLB

Carolina Panthers

Questionable

Injury Achilles

Est. Return 4/1/2025

2024 Defense Stats

TCKL

SACKS

0.0

INT

2025 Projections

TCKL

SACKS

INT

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

There was no outlook written for Shaq Thompson in 2025. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.

RANKS

Height 6'0"

Weight 230

DOB 4/21/1994

College Washington

Drafted 1st Rd 2015 #25 Overall

Won't be re-signed by Carolina

LBCarolina Panthers

Achilles

February 24, 2025

The Panthers announced Monday that the team will not work to re-sign Thompson (Achilles) this offseason, instead allowing him to walk in free agency.

ANALYSIS
Thompson, a 2015 first-round pick and Carolina's longest-tenured player, played out the 2024 campaign on a one-year, $3.1 million deal. He tallied 35 tackles (16 solo) across four-regular season appearances before suffering a torn Achilles, an injury which figures to significantly dampen his free-agent market. The veteran linebacker, who will turn 31 in April, also was limited to just two regular-season games in 2023 before suffering a fractured fibula.

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Snap Counts

Snap %

Panthers 2024 LB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts

J.Josey Jewell

J.Jadeveon Clowney

T.Trevin Wallace

D.D.J. Wonnum

C.Charles Harris

S.Shaq Thompson

D.DJ Johnson

C.Cam Gill

C.Chandler Wooten

C.Claudin Cherelus

J.Jacoby Windmon

A.Amare Barno

E.Eku Leota

T.Thomas Incoom

M.Marquis Haynes

J.Jamie Sheriff

S.Shaq Lawson

K.Kenny Dyson

J.Jon Rhattigan

#% of Team Snaps

75365%

61153%

54847%

42937%

39534%

22920%

21418%

20217%

15013%

11910%

565%

504%

383%

171%

141%

101%

10%

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#1 LILB

Panthers

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2024 Shaq Thompson Split Stats

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Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do Shaq Thompson's measurables compare to other linebackers?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

6' 0"

Weight

230 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.64 sec

Shuttle Time

4.08 sec

Cone Drill

6.99 sec

Vertical Jump

33.5 in

Broad Jump

117 in

Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Shaq Thompson See More

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156 days ago

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158 days ago

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159 days ago

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Coming off a career season in 2022, when he recorded 135 tackles, Thompson fractured his fibula at the beginning of Carolina's 2023 campaign and missed the team's final 15 games. The 30-year-old inside linebacker now has moved past his injury and is poised for another big role this year, especially after the Panthers lost his co-star Frankie Luvu to the Commanders in free agency.

Thompson's eighth season as a pro in 2022 saw him post his highest tackle tally yet, as he led the Panthers with 135 stops in 17 games. In doing so, he now sports four straight campaigns with triple-digit tackles. With Carolina reworking his contract this offseason, Thompson will remain with the team for the coming campaign. His leadership and playmaking figure to be key as the defense transitions to new coordinator Ejiro Evero's 3-4 scheme. Along with a healthy Jeremy Chinn, Thompson once again is a top candidate to pace the Panthers in tackles.

Although he ranked third on the Panthers with 104 tackles, Thompson still topped the century mark in the category for a third straight campaign. The veteran also did so while missing three games, yet he contributed a pair of sacks and interceptions apiece to boot. As one of Carolina's defensive leaders, Thompson again should play a key role in 2022, when he'll headline a new-look linebacking corps following the offseason signings of Damien Wilson and Cory Littleton.

In his first pro season without Panthers legend Luke Kuechly next to him, Thompson rose to the occasion of his newfound leadership role. He played all 16 games for the first time in his six-year career, enabling him to post a new personal best of 114 tackles. With back-to-back seasons of 100-plus stops, the 27-year-old has developed into a consistent difference maker in the middle of Carolina's defense and will hope to maintain his performance in a similar situation in 2021

Thompson might not be better than average, but for this year at least he'll be busy piling up stops for a Carolina defense that figures to spend a lot of time on the field. He missed two games in 2019 - something he's somehow done in each of his five NFL seasons - yet still logged 984 snaps, a career high by 340. If he manages to play a full season, he'll be a candidate for 1,100 snaps, a workload too big to fail for IDP purposes. Although Thompson might play a little farther away from the action than the coverage-challenged Tahir Whitehead, Thompson should trend toward 120 tackles in his own right and offers superior blitzing ability otherwise (8.5 sacks on his last 2,225 snaps). Thompson's over/under for sacks is probably 3.5.

It seems absurd that the Panthers selected Thompson in the first round in 2015 just to be a part-time player, but that's exactly what they did, limiting the athletic linebacker to no more than 644 snaps in a year. With Thomas Davis finally gone, that will change in 2019. While Thompson isn't guaranteed to thrive after his promotion, he has shown intriguing blitzing ability, producing five sacks on his last 1,241 snaps. That would set his seasonal baseline to about four per season, presumably with upward spikes a possibility from year to year.

A first-round pick in 2015, Thompson has gradually improved his numbers each season. This year, he has a great chance to expedite his progress, as teammate Thomas Davis is suspended for the first four games. That should leave Thompson to start alongside Luke Kuechly, opening an opportunity for him to establish himself as Davis' heir in Carolina's dynamic linebacking duo.

A first-round pick in 2015, Thompson has totaled just 106 tackles, one sack and one interception since entering the league. While the three-down presence of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, who comprise arguably the NFL's best linebacking duo, leaves relatively few opportunities for Thompson, he's still only 23 years old. There's thus room for optimism that Thompson will increase his productivity at some point, especially if Kuechly's concussion concerns arise again. However, Thompson's upside will remain somewhat capped as long as Kuechly and Davis are healthy.

The Panthers' 2015 first round pick, Thompson is a hybrid linebacker that was somewhat slowed by a knee injury to start last year, but finished with 50 tackles in 14 regular season appearances. As the campaign unfolded, the Panthers found more ways to use Thompson, particularly his coverage flexibility. Going into his second season, Thompson projects as Carolina's third starting linebacker, which bodes well for an increase in production, but Pro Bowlers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis should continue to thrive in three-down roles, capping Thompson's upside should they stay healthy.

The Panthers' first-round pick this year, Thompson is an ultra-athletic linebacker that should allow defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to get creative with his scheme work this season. Although somewhat undersized, Thompson's playmaking ability should gradually see him emerge as the Panthers' third starting linebacker besides Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis.

More Fantasy News

Officially placed on IR

LBCarolina Panthers

Achilles

October 5, 2024

The Panthers placed Thompson (Achilles) on injured reserve Saturday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

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Undergoes surgery Wednesday

LBCarolina Panthers

Achilles

October 2, 2024

Thompson underwent a season-ending surgery Wednesday to repair his torn Achilles tendon, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

ANALYSIS
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Season-ending injury confirmed

LBCarolina Panthers

Achilles

September 30, 2024

The Panthers have confirmed Thompson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

ANALYSIS
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Likely out for season

LBCarolina Panthers

Achilles

September 30, 2024

Thompson is believed to have suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

ANALYSIS
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Carted off field

LBCarolina Panthers

Heel

September 29, 2024

Thompson left Sunday's game against the Bengals due to a heel injury and is questionable to return, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

ANALYSIS
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