To acquire Rashid Shaheed in the middle of the 2025 season, the Seattle Seahawks had to give the New Orleans Saints two 2026 draft picks. One was in the fourth round, and the other was in round five. That seemed like a lot for a wide receiver who hadn't come close to a 1,000-yard receiving season.
The deal, after all, left Seattle with a thin draft class. The team only had four selections entering 2026, only one more than the failed 2021 class. The difference is quite glaring, though. Seattle still had its picks in rounds one through three, and in 2021 had just a second-round choice and not another until round four.
Oh, and there is the little thing about Shaheed being key to a second-half run that would end with a Seahawks Super Bowl victory. This automatically made the trade, no matter what New Orleans would do with the selections, a win for Mike Macdonald and his team.
Seattle Seahawks come out victorious in the trade with the New Orleans Saints for Rashid Shaheed
So, what did the Saints do with those picks, knowing the NFC South team had a lot of holes to fill? New Orleans chose guard Jeremiah Wright in the fourth round and safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. in round five.
Could those players turn into quality depth pieces? Absolutely, but this year's draft wasn't one that was highly respected. General manager John Schneider would have known that before he decided to give up good draft value for a wide receiver like Shaheed.
But Shaheed is also, as all 12s know, so much more than a wideout. He is an elite return guy, and that is where he truly proved his worth this past season. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including one to open the Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers, and a punt return for a TD that might have changed the course of the season.
In Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams, with Seattle trailing 30-14 in the second half, Shaheed returned a punt that got the Seahawks within a touchdown (and another 2-point conversion) of tying the game. Seattle went on to win in overtime and took over the top seed for the playoffs, in which the team had home-field advantage.
Even better, Rashid Shaheed turned out not to be just a half-season rental. He re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason for three more years and $51 million. Some might see that as an overpay, but 12s know that isn't true. Fans know the value of the wide receiver better than the New Orleans Saints ever did.
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