After the Seattle Seahawks traded for wide receiver Rashid Shaheed in the middle of the 2025 season, Shaheed made a promise that immediately endeared him to 12s: "I’m here to stay. I’m here to stay. I’m excited. We’ll figure something out after the season ends." Now, the season is over.
Of course, holding Shaheed to a comment he made after the excitement of going from a team that was going nowhere to a team that could, and did, win the Super Bowl is unfair. He likely still remembers those words, though.
The wide receiver was a transformative player in the second half of the season. He literally saved the team from falling out of position for the top seed in the NFC. In Week 16, trailing the Los Angeles Rams 30-14, Shaheed took a punt and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown. Along with a 2-point conversion, Seattle was suddenly back within one score in a game they would win 38-37 in overtime.
Seattle Seahawks need Rashid Shaheed's promise to come true
It was Shaheed's versatility that the Seahawks were missing before he was added to the team. He could be an explosive wideout, sure, but he was an elite kick and punt returner. Teams often refused to kick to him. He changed games, and he will probably continue to do so for whoever he plays for.
For the first time in his career, Shaheed is a free agent. According to Spotrac, he has an estimated market value that would pay him $14.1 million a season over a three-year deal. The receiver will only be 28 years old at the start of the 2026 season and should have several years left to be productive.
The positive part is that the Seahawks have more than enough cap room to bring Shaheed back into the fold. The question is whether the team can afford to pay him as well as a large number of the other free agents the team has. The list includes Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, edge rusher Boye Mafe, and cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe.
Seattle is very unlikely to keep everyone. That would exceed their cap space, so making the wise moves is most important. Keeping Walker as RB1 would seemingly be smart, but having Shaheed's versatility to use for a few more years could literally make the difference between Seattle winning a few games or not.
The Seattle Seahawks are obviously not going to hold Rashid Shaheed to his words that he plans on being with the team long-term, soon after becoming a part of it, but maybe the receiver meant what he said. For Seattle's future success, let's hope he did.