Shaq Thompson has laid out a decade's worth of goodbyes to the Carolina Panthers. This past Monday, the Panthers announced that they will not re-sign linebacker Shaq Thompson. The 30-year-old, who has spent each of his 10 NFL seasons in Carolina, is now set to enter free agency in the coming weeks.

Thompson, the linebacker who ranks fourth on the Carolina Panthers’ all-time tackle list, has been informed by the team that it will be moving in another direction at his position. Thompson, 30, will enter NFL free agency.

The sight of Thompson in a bucket hat instead of a helmet is an all-too-familiar one as the veteran linebacker has played in a total of six games in the last two seasons. Carolina's historically porous defense needs consistent contributors, not burgeoning question marks.