Statistics seemingly make it easy to understand a player's value to their team. After all, yards and touchdowns matter. But stats can also be exceedingly misleading. That is the situation with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
When general manager John Schneider made the now-clearly-brilliant move to trade for Shaheed at the deadline, some fans might have thought the team gave up too much for a wideout who had never surpassed 719 receiving yards or 46 catches in a season.
One late-round draft pick should have been enough, but Seattle gave the New Orleans Saints one fourth-round pick and one fifth-round choice in the 2026 draft. What was Schneider thinking?
Seattle Seahawks need to re-sign Rashid Shaheed, but for how much?
He might have known how much Shaheed could affect the Seahawks positively in two different phases of the game. He could scare defenses with his speed, of course. He wasn't going to suddenly become the top target for Seattle, as that was going to remain Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but he could take away some of the coverage from JSN.
Even more importantly, Shaheed could change the narratives of games with his ability to return kicks and punts. He has done as much in two of Seattle's last three games. He returned the opening kickoff in the second half of a 6-6 tie against the Atlanta Falcons, and opened the proverbial floodgates for an eventual Seahawks blowout.
In Week 16, his punt return for a touchdown with his team down 30-14 might have changed the course of the entire season. It helped lead Seattle to a come-from-behind victory and into first place in the NFC West. The team is also currently the top seed in the NFC.
The biggest question has become not whether Rashid Shaheed should return to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2026 offseason, but how much to pay him. He is set for free agency after this season. According to Spotrac, the wide receiver's market value is one that would earn him a contract of three years for a total of $46,610,679, or $15.5 million a season.
The Seahawks can afford that as the team currently has the seventh-most cap room in 2026 with $71 million. The team also doesn't need to pay for a quarterback, as Sam Darnold is under contract through 2027. But Seattle does need to make decisions about Kenneth Walker, Boye Mafe, and Riq Woolen, too.
One thing that would need to happen is for Shaheed, who is only 27 years old, to develop into a true WR2 behind JSN. Otherwise, $15 million a year is a lot to pay for a kick and punt return specialist. He can add an element of productivity in the run game, too, but more consistency as a receiver would be key.