Panthers' Shaq Thompson on Luke Kuechly's Retirement: 'I Gotta Step Up'

Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson is taking it upon himself to fill the leadership void left by the retirement of Luke Kuechly.

During an appearance on NFL Network's Total Access (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra) on Wednesday, Thompson discussed Kuechly's retirement and what it means for him in 2020:

"You had to bring that one up. I'm still hurting to this day about that one. I lost a great friend, a brother, just a great teammate overall. Luke taught me a lot in my five years, just playing alongside of him and just playing and just learning from him. I'm gonna go out there and try my best. Luckily, we still have him in the organization, in the office. So he can probably come down and show us things and stuff like that. So he'll still be around to help out with any questions, any football things on and off the field. So, we're glad to have him. But I gotta step up as the last linebacker [of that] trio that we had with Thomas Davis and Luke. So I gotta step up and fill that role and be that leader."

Kuechly was one of the best linebackers of his generation despite playing only eight seasons before retiring after suffering multiple concussions.

While Kuechly was the unquestioned leader of the Carolina defense for most of his tenure, the onus is now on Thompson to assume that role since he is the longest-tenured linebacker on the team, having now been with the Panthers for five seasons.

The 26-year-old veteran got a taste of it last year when he took on a greater role after Davis left the Panthers to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers. It was a big void to fill since Davis had been with the Panthers for 14 years, but Thompson was up to the task, as he finished with a career-high 109 tackles to go along with three sacks, 11 tackles for loss and three passes defended in 14 games.

With Matt Rhule taking over as head coach and installing Phil Snow as the defensive coordinator, Carolina's defense will have a different look in 2020 even aside from Kuechly's departure.

Replacing Kuechly's production and leadership will have to be collaborative, but there is no doubt that Thompson will lead that effort if he can stay healthy.