With the 2019 season officially written off, the Panthers began turning their attention to 2020 and beyond this week. First, they fired coach Ron Rivera after nearly nine years at the helm and named Perry Fewell the interim head coach. Today, Carolina followed that move by securing one of the cornerstones of its defense.
Linebacker Shaq Thompson has agreed to a four-year contract extension worth up to $57 million, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN. While paying Thompson was never a question, the sum is significant enough to raise concerns. Some Panthers fans on Twitter are openly wondering if the team overpaid.
Let’s open this up to a vote. Do you think Thompson got more than market value, or was it a fair deal?
Thompson’s new contract ranks him among the top-five best paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL.
The timing is a bit strange and he’s coming off a rough game against Washington. Thompson also hasn’t made the impact we expected from him in a contract year. Then again, Thompson (along with the rest of the defense) may be suffering in part due to Rivera’s shift to 3-4 looks, which have often put the linebackers out of position to make the stops they normally would.
We expect Thompson to bounce back over these last four weeks and start next season strong. If he doesn’t, we may hear familiar tones about GM Marty Hurney being too generous once again.
