Seahawks Acquire Rashid Shaheed From Saints For Pair of Fourth Round Picks
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) is tackled by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (2) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
With multiple receivers currently ailing, including veteran Cooper Kupp, the Seattle Seahawks have brought one of Klint Kubiak’s favorite weapons to the Pacific Northwest in a somewhat surprising trade deadline move.
According to multiple reports, the Seahawks have agreed to send 2026 fourth and fifth round picks to the Saints in exchange for speedy receiver Rashid Shaheed. The fourth-year receiver out of Weber State is in the final year of his rookie contract, but per a team source who spoke with Emerald City Spectrum, the front office hopes to be able to re-sign him to a long-term deal.
Previously joining the Saints as an undrafted signee in 2022, Shaheed opened his career on New Orleans’ practice squad before eventually being signed to the active roster, where he contributed 488 receiving yards on just 26 receptions as a rookie, including a 53-yard touchdown catch on his second NFL touch. He followed up with the best season of his career in 2023, hauling in 46 passes for 719 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 15.6 yards per reception and earning All-Pro honors as a punt returner with 388 return yards and a touchdown.
But while Shaheed’s numbers that year stand out as the best in his career by a wide margin, his best stretch of play came in the first two months of the 2024 season in Kubiak’s offense, where he shined as a receiver and a runner. Before suffering an unfortunate season-ending injury, in just six games, he caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, putting him well on pace for his first 1,000-yard season while averaging a 17.5 yards per reception to go with 29 rushing yards and a punt return for a touchdown.
At the time of the injury, Shaheed ranked fifth in yards per reception and ninth in touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per reception after the catch and the third highest average depth of target (18.1 yards) among qualified receivers. Position-wise, he logged a 25% slot rate while primarily playing on the boundary and having a single snap out of the backfield.
Given that sample size and familiarity with Kubiak’s offense, Shaheed should slide right in as a complementary explosive weapon across from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who currently leads the NFL with 948 receiving yards on 58 receptions. His arrival will create a bit more schematic flexibility for Kubiak as well, opening the door for a bit more 11 personnel groupings with three receivers on the field, as rookie Tory Horton has caught five touchdowns this year and earned his spot as a top-three target.
The timing of this trade and the fact that the Seahawks were willing to give up two early Day 3 picks for Shaheed suggests injuries to Kupp, Jake Bobo, and/or Dareke Young may be more serious than initially thought. Kupp missed Sunday’s win against the Commanders with a hamstring strain suffered in practice last week, while Bobo and Young sat out with Achilles and hip injuries respectively, which means one or more of those players could be potential injured reserve candidates.
Needing a new contract after this season, Shaheed’s future will be a topic of discussion down the line, but the Seahawks have recently done well signing players who came on board with expiring contracts, as both Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones signed multi-year deals after being acquired at the trade deadline. If the speedy gadget threat thrives again in Kubiak’s offense and adds a jolt to the special teams unit, he could be another player to find a long-term home in Seattle.
