3 Panthers players who could be restructured this offseason
By Dean Jones
Shaq Thompson – Carolina Panthers OLB
- Three years remaining – $14.18 million salary-cap hit in 2021.
- $15.2 million in 2022
- $16.36 million in 2023
Shaq Thompson is probably looking forward to the bumper pay increase coming his way over the next few years. The outside linebacker will count an eye-popping $14.18 million against the salary-cap in 2021, which is a rise of $6.9 million from the current campaign.
Judging by his level of production this season, this isn’t warranted.
The Carolina Panthers will also be fully aware of this. So expect to see some movement regarding Thompson’s situation sooner rather than later.
Whether trading the outside linebacker is feasible after an up-and-down campaign remains to be seen. There is also the prospect of simply cutting the player loose and saving $17.94 million over the next three seasons.
However, sitting down with the former first-round pick and working out a restructure might be best for all parties concerned. New general manager Scott Fitterer wasn’t the man who gave Thompson the lucrative extension – that was Marty Hurney – and the player’s regression without Luke Kuechly by his side was evident over the first half of 2020.
Things got a little better once Jermaine Carter was installed into the lineup. But even Thomspon would probably admit that his performances weren’t enough to justify such a bumper salary rise.