The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of happy questions to ask themselves in the next offseason. The team has a decent amount of cap space, but it can be quickly eaten away by the team re-signing its own free agents. This includes players such as running back Kenneth Walker and edge rusher Boye Mafe.
It also includes non-drafted players such as wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Seattle acquired him for his explosiveness at the trade deadline, and after a slow start, he has been integral to Seattle's success. He has been splashy as a kick returner, and as a receiver, he has been increasingly more productive.
In fact, in Week 15, the drive that Seattle had that led to a game-winning field goal with 18 seconds left was almost completely to the credit of Shaheed. He returned the kick to near Seattle's 40-yard line and then had two catches to set the Seahawks up in field goal range. Without Shaheed, Seattle likely loses the game.
Seattle Seahawks need to find the money to re-sign Rashid Shaheed
The former New Orleans Saints wide receiver would absolutely be a good long-term WR2 to play off the excellence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Cooper Kupp is solid in that role, if he is still in that role, in 2025, but he is an aging wideout who clearly doesn't have the kind of explosiveness he had when he was younger.
That might be an issue for Kupp. He has been a benefit to the team, but he will be 33 years old at the beginning of the 2026 season, and his cap hit increases from $9.35 million in 2025 to $17.5 million in 2026. The team would save $13 million if Seattle released him.
That money could be spent on Rashid Shaheed, who Spotrac projects as having a market value of $15.5 million a season. In other words, the money saved by releasing Kupp could go almost entirely to Shaheed.
Plus, rookie Tory Horton was explosive in limited snaps in 2025, and should he stay healthy moving forward, he would make for an excellent WR3 and punt returner. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Tory Horton could form one of the fastest and most explosive wide receiver trios in the NFL.
Otherwise, the Seattle Seahawks are left potentially letting Shaheed walk in free agency, keeping the aging Cooper Kupp, and hoping the oft-injured Horton can actually stay healthy. That isn't the best of worlds for an otherwise potentially championship-level Seahawks team.