Panthers LB Shaq Thompson has season-ending Achilles injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has suffered a season-ending injury for the second straight year.

Thompson tore his Achilles during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Bank of America Stadium. 

The 25th pick of the 2015 draft out of the University of Washington suffered a season-ending broken fibula last year during a Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Thompson indicated on his Instagram Story that he has no plans to retire. Thompson wrote, “Yall think ima retire!! Ahah yeah right! I’ll [be] back!”

The Panthers also will be without linebacker  Josey Jewell, who plays inside next to Thompson in the 3-4 scheme, for at least a couple of weeks with a hamstring/groin injury suffered in the fourth quarter.

But Thompson’s injury, because of the severity of it and what he has meant to the team for a long time, hit the hardest.

“Just sick for Shaq,” coach Dave Canales said. “A guy that really cares so much, plays with so much passion, a vocal leader, somebody’s who’s had my back throughout this process. [He’s one of those] people that I can ask to lead a charge for this thing that we’re looking to get more of.

“So, a guy that stood for all those things, Panthers football all the way through and through.”

Thompson was able to walk off the field under his own power Sunday but later was carted off to the locker room with a towel over his head and his head bowed.

Thompson, 30, is in his 10th season. He and long-snapper  JJ Jansen are the only remaining players from the 2015 team that had an NFL-best 15-1 regular-season record and made it to the Super Bowl.

He has endured a stretch with only one winning season since then, though. The Panthers appear headed for a seventh straight losing season with the team 1-3 heading into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

Thompson was having one of his best seasons, leading the team with 35 tackles. Canales said rookie  Trevin Wallace and third-year player  Chandler Wooten are first up to replace Thompson and Jewell.

Thompson was one of four players voted team captain by the players for this season. The others were defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener, benched quarterback Bryce Young and safety  Sam Franklin Jr., who began the season on injured reserve with a broken foot.

It is not immediately known if the artificial turf at Bank of America Stadium impacted Thompson’s injury. But it was a noncontact injury, and no player has been more of an advocate for owner David Tepper to go back to natural grass.

Thompson was particularly outspoken in 2022 for the switch after the turf was replaced by grass for an exhibition soccer match.

“It’s probably going to take all of us to stop going to practice until we get grass,” Thompson said at the time. “I mean they make enough money off of us to maintain grass. I hate to say this, but with our last owner [Jerry Richardson] we had grass. … Listen to your players. We want to play on grass.”

Canales declined to speculate on whether Thompson’s injury was turf related.

“I’m not an expert on turf, so I’ve got to leave it up to them,” he said.