Luke Kuechly gives reaction to the Panthers decision to part ways with Shaq Thompson

The Panthers legend discusses Shaq Thompson's departure.

Jan 1, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) talks with outside linebacker Shaq Green-Thompson (54) prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers made the difficult decision to part ways with veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson after a decade together.

Thompson suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries, limiting him to just six games over the past two seasons. Before he fractured his fibula in 2023, Thompson was one of the most durable players on Carolina's roster, appearing in 14 or more games in his first eight years in the league.

He'll finish his time as a Panther with 752 tackles, 54 tackles for loss, 32 QB hits, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three interceptions.

Shaq's former teammate and future Hall of Famer, Luke Kuechly, gave his reaction to the news at Greg Olsen's HEARTestYard event on Monday.

Shaq Thompson is set to play for another team for the first time in his career in 2025. I caught up with his former teammate Luke Kuechly at the @HEARTestYard tonight, and he gave a detailed answered on what Shaq has meant to the @Panthers 👇 pic.twitter.com/a7zHBu3qJe

— Carla Metts (@CarlaMetts) February 25, 2025

“What I’ve always known about Shaq is how unselfish he’s been. He comes in as a first-round pick out of Washington and in 2015, the Super Bowl year, he played every position we asked him to play. We asked him to play weakside linebacker, inside linebacker, strongside linebacker. We asked him to play nickel and guard receivers and he always said yes.

"He’s always been super unselfish, he’s great with the young guys. He’s had a tremendous career here in Carolina. Obviously, the last couple of years he’s dealt with the injuries and he’s come back every time with a smile on his face. That’s the hard part about football - you don’t always get to end your career how you want to.

"But what I think Dan (Morgan) is trying to do is say, hey, we’re probably not going to re-sign you. We’re going to give you an opportunity to get to free agency before it really opens up in March. So, I think the team is trying to do him a solid and help him out, but it’s difficult when Shaq’s been a mainstay here in Carolina for as long as he has. He’s a special guy, a special player, and we’ll certainly miss him.”

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