4 Carolina Panthers players who will be on notice in 2021

Shaq Thompson – Carolina Panthers OLB

There appears some doubt as to whether Shaq Thompson will be on the roster next season. The outside linebacker is due for a substantial pay rise into eight-figures regarding his base salary in 2021 and it is another contract that leaves the Carolina Panthers stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Thompson missed Luke Kuechly more than anybody this season. Not having a security blanket putting him in the right positions exposed him during the early part of the campaign and things only got a little better when Jermaine Carter came out of Matt Rhule’s dog house and into the starting lineup at the expense of Tahir Whitehead.

Carter is no Kuechly.

But having a little more dependability at inside linebacker helped Thompson considerably.

However, when you’re paying someone more than $10 million in base salary alone, one doesn’t expect them to be relying on others to get the job done.

Thompson did go over 100 tackles once again – the second consecutive year he’s achieved this feat – but this does not detract from an inconsistent contribution overall from a player that had high hopes of being the defensive focal point following a host of free-agent departures.

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If the Panthers give Thompson a reprieve, then he must step up his influence on and off the field if he wants to avoid the chopping block next year.