5 potential salary-cap casualties for the Carolina Panthers in 2023

Shaq Thompson – Carolina Panthers OLB

• Dead-cap figure – $11.27 million
• Cap savings – $13.18 million

Another restructure of Shaq Thompson‘s contract this offseason gave some relief in the short term. But the Carolina Panthers won’t be able to kick the can any further down the road where the outside linebacker is concerned.

Thompson remains a highly influential figure on the field and within the locker room. Something that brought some encouraging production in 2021 and also saw the player emerge as one of the primary leaders along the way.

This is all positive from Thompson’s point of view. Something that the former first-round pick can build upon during an important 2022 campaign for the organization.

However, Thompson needs to be performing at a supremely consistent level to convince people he is worth the $24.46 million salary-cap hit on the last season of his megabucks deal in 2023.

This is a massive amount of money to be paying a second-level defender. Especially considering how much the Panthers are currently in the hole before financial adjustments are made.

Parting ways with the team’s best linebacker might not be something those in power are considering. It’s been a tough task for the Panthers to find the right fits since Luke Kuechly retired, but Thompson has been their one shining light.

Letting him leave with a dead cap of $11.27 million ($13.18 million savings) is a big call to make.