Getty Shaq Thompson #54 of the Carolina Panthers warms up before their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Teams chomping at the bits to add a new linebacker in 2020 NFL free agency just had one of the best options taken off the board.
The Carolina Panthers signed linebacker Shaq Thompson to a four-year, $54.2 million contract extensions on Friday afternoon that could touch a max value of $57 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal reportedly includes a $16 million signing bonus and $28 million guaranteed for the former 2015 first-round pick.
For Patty Thompson 🙏
Playing under a fifth-year option, Thompson has seen his free-agency stock spike during his career season for the Panthers as he has developed into a crucial presence at the inside spot opposite veteran Luke Kuechly, especially in pass coverage. He has tallied a career-high 93 tackles through 12 games along with three sacks and three passes defended.
The move adds a little more certainty to the future state of the Panthers after earlier this week they fired Ron Rivera as head coach to end his nine-year run, leaving interim duties to secondary coach Perry Fewell for the remaining four games of the regular season.
It also leaves fewer top-notch inside linebackers available on the upcoming free-agent market with several teams expected to add at the position for the 2020 season.
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Panthers’ Inside Unit Among the League’s Best
The Panthers already had one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL when they selected Thompson out of Washington with the 25th overall pick in the 2015 draft, and it has yielded one of the best pairs of inside linebackers in the 2019 season.
Kuechly has been named an All-Pro in six consecutive seasons since winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors during his debut in 2012 and continues to produce at a high level, despite the Panthers changing from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 this year. He ranks seventh in the league with 103 total tackles as well as a pair of interceptions and a safety.
Not only have the two Carolina linebackers maintained high levels of success, but each has done so while also playing roughly 99 percent of defensive snaps.
Who are the Top Inside Linebackers Left?
With Thompson off the board, the list of quality inside linebackers expected to join the free-agent market has gotten even shorter, but there are still a few appealing options out there.
One such option could be Packers signal-caller Blake Martinez, who is reaching the end of his four-year deal and could wind up costing too much for Green Bay to re-sign. While he currently has the league’s second-most tackles with 118, many of them have come in less-than-ideal situations for the Packers. He has noticeable flaws when it comes to stopping the run.
Browns linebacker Joe Schobert is also a big-time pending free agent who has proved to be a far better playmaker than Martinez. The former fourth-round pick came up with two interceptions in consecutive games for Cleveland against Pittsburgh and Miami, both of which resulted in home wins. He also has nine passed defended and two forced fumbles.
The Chicago Bears could also be letting one of their inside linebackers hit the market after this season with both Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski set to become free agents.
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