The New Orleans Saintstraded wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday, a deadline-day move that sends two mid-round draft picks (a 2026 fourth and fifth) to New Orleans and gives Seattle an immediate speed-and-return boost for an already dominant receiving room.
For the Saints, dealing Shaheed trims competition at receiver and clears cap/roster room as New Orleans weighs its relationship with former first-round WR Chris Olave and longer-term plan at the position.
After the trade was announced, Seahawks star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba reacted with an eye emoji, garnering an immediate response from Olave.
“You got a great one bro,” Olave replied to Smith-Njigba’s post.
Shaheed, an undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2022, was in the final year of his contract and had been one of the Saints' most electric playmakers.
This season, he has 44 catches for 499 yards and two receiving touchdowns in nine games; his career totals entering the deal sit at 138 catches for 2,055 yards and 12 receiving TDs, plus a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro recognition as a return specialist in 2023.
Seattle's addition addresses both depth at receiver and return-team needs while reuniting Shaheed with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who coached him in New Orleans last season.
Olave, meanwhile, remains New Orleans’ top young receiver and high-volume target when healthy.
Through the 2025 season, he has posted 55 receptions and 560 receiving yards with three touchdowns, and his NFL resume includes back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns after being taken 11th overall in 2022.
The Saints exercised Olave's fifth-year option in April, signaling that the organization is committed, making him less likely to be moved at the deadline, barring a surprise offer.
Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were teammates at Ohio State - both products of a high-volume Buckeye passing attack - and Olave finished his college career as one of the school's most decorated receivers (he holds the Ohio State career TD reception mark at 35).
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