CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have signed linebacker Shaq Thompson to a four-year extension, the team announced Saturday. Thompson is now under contract through the 2023 season.
βShaq is our type of person and our type of player,β general manager Marty Hurney said. βHeβs proven that he can play linebacker at a very high level, and heβs got all the traits you want. Heβs smart, heβs physical, he can run, and heβs very versatile. He fits the blueprint for what we want at the position.β
Thompson, in his fifth NFL season, has spent his entire career with Carolina after being drafted by the team in the first round (25thΒ overall) of the 2015 Draft.
This season, Thompson has started all 12 games for the Panthers and ranks third on the team with a career-high 101 tackles (coachesβ stats) to go along with three sacks and three passes defensed. He is averaging more than eight tackles per game, and has amassed double-digit tackle totals in four games this season, including tallying a single-game career high 14 in Carolinaβs Week 3 win at Arizona.
Thompson entered the NFL after his junior season at the University of Washington, and in five NFL seasons he has career totals of 394 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown.
