With just over three hours to go before the NFL trade deadline Tuesday, the Seahawks added to their already electric offense by speedy veteran Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints for fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2026, the team announced.
That turned out to be the only move the team made, however, as the 1 p.m. deadline passed with no further moves pulled off by the Seahawks.
Notably, that meant cornerback Riq Woolen, whose future has been a constant topic of discussion for the last month or so, will finish out the season with the Seahawks.
Shaheed, 27, played last season with the Saints for Klint Kubiak, now the offensive coordinator in Seattle, and is entering the final season of a contract that voids after this year.
It was his connection to Kubiak that helped compel the Seahawks to make the deal, as well as wanting to add a player known for his deep-threat skills to an already potent offense as a Seattle team that is tied for first in the NFC West with the Rams at 6-2 readies for what it hopes is a potentially long post-season run.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder has 44 receptions for 499 yards and two touchdowns this season.
The Seahawks entered the day holding picks in each of the first through six rounds in 2026 and this deal now leaves them with four. They traded their seventh-rounder last year to Cleveland as part of a deal involving center Nick Harris.
The move not only bolsters a receiving corps that has been hit by injuries the past few weeks but also adds that much more potential firepower to an offense that has been one of the surprises of the NFL season.
Veteran Cooper Kupp missed Sunday’s 38-14 win over Washington with heel and hamstring issues, while Jake Bobo also sat out with an Achilles injury and Dareke Young a hip injury.
That had the Seahawks down to just four receivers active for Sunday’s game, including two off the practice squad in Cody White and rookie Ricky White III.
Let by first-year QB Sam Darnold, who has thrown 16 touchdown passes, the Seahawks are fifth in the NFL in scoring (28.9 per game) and fourth in passing yards at 2,041, thanks in large part to the fast start of third-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the league with 948.
Now they add the speedy Shaheed to the mix.
Shaheed, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2022, has been a standout returner in his career, returning punts for touchdowns in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 as a punt returner.
The Saints are 1-8 under first-year coach Kellen Moore and were known to be having conversations with teams about Shaheed since he can be a free agent following the season.
Shaheed is making a base salary of $4.2 million this season with a cap hit of $4.45 million. The Seahawks will pick up the remaining $2.1 million on his base salary for 2025. The Seahawks entered the day with $20.7 million in cap space, according to OvertheCap.com.
A report from SI.com said the Seahawks and Shaheed do not have a new contract in place as part of the deal, meaning the two sides will have to work on one after the season or Shaheed can hit free agency in March. But the Seahawks could also be thinking that at the worst, Shaheed would sign a contract large enough to merit a compensatory pick in 2027 in the fourth or fifth round range to recoup one of the picks traded to get him.
The Seahawks were thought all along interested in Shaheed if they were to add a receiver because in large part to his connection with Kubiak.
Shaheed was off to a career year in 2024 while working with Kubiak before suffering a knee injury that ended his season after six games.
Shaheed had 20 receptions for 349 yards (a career-high 17.5 avg.) and three touchdowns as well six carries for 29 yards playing under Kubiak before his injury.
Shaheed had four receptions for 42 yards and one punt return for 40 yards for the Saints at Lumen Field in the Seahawks’ 44-13 win over New Orleans on Sept. 21.
He has 10 punt returns for 129 yards this season and one kickoff return for 29.
Shaheed turned in his best game this season with 114 yards on four receptions against the Giants in Week 5.
What the Seahawks feel makes Shaheed a good fit is that he can line up all over the field. According to Pro Football Focus he has lined up wide 246 times this season with 180 in the slot.
In 2024 under Kubiak he played more outside, with 241 snaps out wide to 70 in the slot.
The Seahawks’ receiving corps has been led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has 948 yards, on pace to become the first to break the 2,000-yard mark in NFL history.
Kupp is next with 24 receptions for 293 yards, while rookie Tory Horton has 13 for 161 yards and a team-high five touchdowns, two coming against Washington Sunday.
The addition of Shaheed could make for an interesting offseason for the receiving corps. Smith-Njigba will be eligible for an extension and if he continues on his pace could command a contract on par with the top in the NFL, possibly in the $30 million a year range.
Kupp signed a three-year deal in March that is worth up to $45 million, including $17.5 million fully guaranteed. But there is no guaranteed money in Kupp’s deal beyond this season. However, $9 million will become guaranteed if he is on the roster on Feb. 10, according to OvertheCap.com.
Shaheed played football and ran track at Mt. Carmel High in San Diego before spending five years at Weber State.
He played in 52 games at Weber State with 88 kickoff returns for 2,560 yards, a 29.1-yard average, with seven TDs and also had 40 career punt returns for 575 yards (10.8) while also catching 146 passes for 2,164 yards (14.8 avg.) with 18 touchdowns and getting 30 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Seahawks waive Jerrick Reed II
The Seahawks made two other roster moves Tuesday, notably waiving safety Jerrick Reed II.
Reed was signed to the 53-man roster off the practice squad on Saturday after the Seahawks placed safety Julian Love on injured reserve. Reed made one tackle against the Commanders.
They may be hoping Reed will clear waivers and can return to the practice squad. He has played in five games this season — two as a member of the 53-man roster and three after being elevated off the practice squad.
Waiving Reed opens a spot on the 53-man roster that will presumably be used to add Shaheed once he passes a physical and the trade becomes official.
The Seahawks also signed receiver Mac Dalena to the practice squad. Dalena played at Fresno State from 2020-24 and had 64 receptions for 1,065 yards in his final season. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chiefs before being waived at the end of the preseason.