7 Panthers players that could be traded if slump continues in 2022
By Dean Jones
Shaq Thompson – Carolina Panthers OLB
If the Carolina Panthers cannot start stringing a consistent run of results together, there will be an obvious temptation to begin rebuilding. The chances of Matt Rhule’s men making the playoffs from their remaining fixtures are bleak at best and the franchise isn’t exactly blessed with a significant amount of draft capital or cap space to get things trending in the right direction.
One player that could find himself on the move is Shaq Thompson. The outside linebacker is one of the team’s longest-serving players and one of two remaining from Carolina’s memorable run to the Super Bowl in 2015, but this might be a good time to explore ways to cash in on the former first-round pick.
Thompson is arguably the team’s primary leader and someone Rhule trusts enormously. The Washington product has 28 tackles through four games but is giving up a 72.27 percent completion rate when targeted, which isn’t exactly ideal.
Again, there are some significant financial ramifications to consider in this scenario. Trading Thompson before or after June 1 in 2023 comes with a dead-cap figure of $11.27 million and $13.11 million in savings, which is a lot to take on but is money that can be spent elsewhere.
Perhaps a team would be willing to take on Thompson’s contract if they think it can benefit their chances of a deep postseason run. Just what compensation the Panthers could get for the veteran is the bigger question.