Panthers LB Shaq Thompson shoots down retirement amidst reports of season-ending injury

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson stated that he’ll be back amidst reports of another season-ending injury.

10th-year Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, for the second time in as many seasons, has apparently sustained a devastating season-ending injury. But according to Thompson himself, his football career is not over.

On Monday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the 30-year-old defender tore his Achilles tendon in the Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. And while we’re still waiting on the team to confirm the unfortunate development, Thompson already took to Instagram to address the injury . . .

@shaqthompson/IG

If today’s scheduled MRI backs up the belief of an Achilles tear, Thompson will miss the final 13 games of the campaign. That would be especially disappointing considering his shortened 2023 season, when he played in just two outings before sustaining a fractured fibula.

Through his four games this year, Thompson recorded 35 combined tackles. He also played in every defensive snap for Carolina prior to the injury.

Thompson is slated to become a free agent at season’s end.

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