Brady Henderson
RENTON, Wash. — When the Seattle Seahawks acquired large receiver Rashid Shaheed in a commerce with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, they gave up a pair of middle-round picks for a participant who's within the last yr of his deal.
However they did not accomplish that with the thought that he was going to be round for merely half a season.
Shaheed is not pondering that both.
“I am right here to remain,” he stated Wednesday throughout his introductory information convention at Seahawks headquarters, repeating the road when requested about his expiring contract and the potential of changing into a free agent in March. “I am excited, and we will determine one thing out after the season ends.”
Shaheed, 27, had stepped foot contained in the Virginia Mason Athletic Middle for the primary time just a few hours earlier when he stated he views this as a “long-term” association. However an extension must wait.
The Seahawks, who parted with fourth- and fifth-round picks within the swap, have a long-standing coverage of not extending commerce acquisitions straight away. They like to attend till the season ends to start negotiating — as long as the participant has no a couple of yr left on his contract by that time — which is how they finally labored out long-term offers for commerce pickups equivalent to Jamal Adams, Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones IV, to call some latest examples.
Meaning Shaheed will seemingly need to play out the rest of the two-year, $6.185 million contract he signed with the Saints in 2024, along with his agent and the Seahawks then making an attempt to work out a deal earlier than he reaches free company.
Within the meantime, the Seahawks are hoping he can reinforce their banged-up receiver corps and provides their already-potent passing sport one other weapon for Sam Darnold to associate with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 948 receiving yards.
“This man can actually assist us,” coach Mike Macdonald stated, “and it is our job now to verify it involves life.”
Macdonald downplayed the diploma to which the Seahawks wanted Shaheed, saying they weren't making an attempt to plug a gap and as a substitute describing the transfer as “simply a possibility to get an ideal participant and to reinforce what we had been doing.”
However Shaheed, who reunites with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, offers them a number of issues they may use. One is a wholesome physique, as Cooper Kupp (hamstring/heel) and reserve wideouts Jake Bobo (calf) and Dareke Younger (hip) are coping with accidents that saved them out of the Seahawks' win over the Washington Commanders final Sunday night time. All had been listed as nonparticipants on the workforce's apply report Wednesday, which was an estimation as Seattle held a walk-through.
Shaheed additionally offers the Seahawks one of many league's high deep threats, somebody who has proved he can stretch the sector over his 3½ seasons within the NFL. Signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Shaheed ranks third in air yards per goal (13.63) and ninth in yards per reception (14.9) over his profession. He has six profession touchdowns of at the least 50 yards, and all however two of his 12 scores had been from at the least 30 yards out.
“He is a playmaker,” Macdonald stated. “The pace's actual.”
The Seahawks hope that pace can open issues up for his or her run sport, which has managed solely 3.7 yards per carry — second worst within the NFL — as defenses have consistently loaded the field. Shaheed noticed that occur early final season in New Orleans whereas enjoying reverse one other speedy receiver in Chris Olave, earlier than Shaheed suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in October, one among a number of accidents that decimated the Saints' offense.
“I really feel like that is why we had a lot success occurring early on in final season,” he stated. “Simply the flexibility to for me and Chris to stretch the sector vertically, it opened up and so many various issues. That was form of the title of our sport on offense final yr.”
Macdonald stated Shaheed might be a part of the Seahawks' return sport. It sounds prefer it'll be as one among their kickoff returners, as Macdonald stated rookie receiver Tory Horton will nonetheless return punts. Shaheed made the Professional Bowl after the 2023 season as a returner and was a first-team All-Professional as a punt returner that yr.
Shaheed known as it a “bittersweet feeling” to be traded and stated he tried to disregard the hypothesis that had been mounting in latest weeks that he might be dealt.
“There was lots of stuff circulating, however I needed to keep targeted on what I had in entrance of me,” he stated. “However now that it is right here, I really feel like I am prepared for it, and every part goes to be a easy transition.”
That transition might be aided by his familiarity with Kubiak's offense. Shaheed stated that from what he has gathered thus far, it is “just about the identical” as what Kubiak was operating final season because the Saints' OC, save for some tweaks right here and there.
“I am tremendous glad to be linked again with him,” Shaheed stated. “He is accustomed to me. He is aware of my strengths, and I do know what his mindset goes into video games. It should not be too laborious to get acclimated with him and simply discover my position within the offense.”
