Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks
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(Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns have plenty of areas that need improvement this offseason, and one of those is the wide receiver position. There are plenty of strong candidates on the free agent market this offseason, and one has been paired to the Browns by ESPN.
NFL reporter Aaron Schatz released a story on Friday, Feb. 27 predicting one free agent each NFL team will land this offseason; he believes that Rashid Shaheed will be the newest Brown come free agency.
Shaheed, 28, is coming off of a Super Bowl victory as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He was traded to Seattle by the New Orleans Saints at the 2025 trade deadline after spending the first three seasons of his career in the big easy.
Shaheed is one of the most explosive big play receivers in the NFL, and also acts as an elite punt and kick returner. You may remember his kickoff return to begin Seattle’s Divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Shaheed had two catches for 27 yards in the Super Bowl.
Browns Tabbed to Pick Up Shaheed in Free Agency
In addition to Shaheed’s elite speed, it wouldn’t hurt the Browns to add a guy with a Super Bowl victory under his belt to their roster. For a young team that doesn’t have winning experience, that kind of guy can be incredibly valuable.
Shaheed would solve two problems for Cleveland: adding a slot receiver to go alongside Jerry Jeudy and returning kicks and punts.
The latter of these two was the bigger issue for the Browns in 2025.
There’s more to the return game than just having a fast return man. The blocking matters,” Schatz wrote. “Still, the addition of Shaheed would be a big step forward for a Browns special teams unit that I had ranked 32nd on punt return value and 28th on kick return value through my special teams DVOA [defense-adjusted value over average] in 2025.”
Does Shaheed fix all of the Browns offensive problems? No, not by a longshot. Cleveland still needs a bona fide quarterback and more durable pieces on all parts of their offense. But adding a guy with a winning pedigree and top-end speed would certainly help in plenty of aspects.
Shaheed’s Projected Contract
According to Spotrac, Shaheed is projected to earn a three-year, $42 million deal. At about $14 million per season, it would be a comparable contract to Jeudy, and one of the more team friendly deals on the market.
It was also announced on Friday that the NFL’s salary cap will be increasing by $22 million this offseason. With that increase and the Browns projected to shed some salary soon, a reasonable deal like that for Shaheed becomes a very moderate expense.
Shaheed’s 687 receiving yards would also eclipse any Browns’ receiver total from the 2025 season. Shaheed isn’t the best wide receiver on the market, nor is he a lock to be a game breaker every week, but his upside and affordability is impossible to ignore.
The NFL free agency period begins on Wednesday, March. 11 at 4 p.m.