The price tag for wide receiver Rashid Shaheed went up quite a bit as this past season grew old, and the amount he's earned might now be too rich for the Seattle Seahawks. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the team and the player aren't close in contract talks ahead of free agency.
That means, of course, that the multi-faceted player could leave in free agency to a team willing to pay him $18 million a season or more unless general manager John Schneider makes one last effort to re-sign the wideout before free agency unofficially begins on Monday, March 9.
Seattle certainly has the money to pay, but the team also has several other of its own free agents to consider. This offseason for the Seahawks is anything but normal.
Seattle Seahawks may be about to lose Rashid Shaheed in free agency
The team is in the process of being sold eventually, though that shouldn't change how much money the team spends in free agency. If it does, fans won't truly know that until next year at the earliest.
Many key players just finished the final years of their rookie contracts, including running back Kenneth Walker, edge rusher Boye Mafe, and cornerback Riq Woolen. At least one, if not all three, of those players won't be back, most likely.
Shaheed is also entering free agency for the first time in his career, though he began his time in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. He would have probably been paid more than $10 million a season by a new team even had he stayed in the Big Easy. What he did with the Seahawks changed things.
He was a solid receiver in Seattle as he had 15 catches in nine games, but where he truly excelled was as a kick and punt returner. He returned two kicks for touchdowns, including one in the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers, and had a punt return for a TD.
He single-handedly changed the fate of Seattle's season by returning a punt 58 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16. Before the punt, Seattle was trailing 30-14 in the second half. Whoever won the game would likely go on to be the top seed in the NFC. Shaheed's return changed the momentum of the game, and the Seahawks eventually won in overtime.
That is the value of Rashid Shaheed. He can beat opponents in different ways. The league doesn't have many of those kinds of players.
One potential landing spot for Shaheed is the Las Vegas Raiders. Former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is now the head coach in Vegas, and Kubiak coached Shaheed in New Orleans in 2024. The Raiders also have plenty of money to spend in free agency and can afford Shaheed.
If the receiver leaves, Seattle could have a decent replacement for Shaheed already on the roster. Tory Horton, who injured his shin midway through 2025 and missed the second half of the season, did have six total touchdowns before getting hurt, including a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown.