It's safe to say that the Seattle Seahawks benefited mightily from the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline. The addition of wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was an inspired roster upgrade. Ironically, he did not do much on offense. But he took the Seahawks special teams to an entirely new level.
He returned 13 punts for the Seahawks for 210 yards, including one touchdown. He returned 14 kickoffs for 410 yards and one touchdown. That's very impressive in just nine games. But he wasn't done. In the playoffs, he returned two punts for 16 yards. But he returned four kickoffs for 167 yards, including a touchdown.
His punt return for a touchdown led to a Seahawks victory over the Rams in Week 16.
He is about to hit free agency. And he will certainly have a market. He's a versatile weapon on both the offense and special teams. That versatility should score high marks for the Horns, a team seeking depth at wide receiver, a deep threat, and a way to upgrade special teams. But Shaheed's availability could be a bit challenging.
You see, he would love to re-sign with the Seahawks.
Many NFL teams likely to pursue Rashid Shaheed in free agency
There will be no shortage of teams seeking to add a speedy wide receiver with elite special teams potential. One article names five teams, none of which are the LA Rams. While the Rams could be interested, the team seldom enters a bidding war for any player.
And Shaheed is by no means a sure-fire fix to an offense that already boasts two elite receivers.
Shaheed does offer plenty of intrigue to a team that needs help in almost all categories that he can supply. LA definitely would be wise to address a deep-threat wide receiver with the expected departure of wide receiver Tutu Atwell. And the gaffe by punt returner Xavier Smith places the team smack dab in the market for a return specialist.
It's unlikely that Los Angeles, despite the potential fits, would be willing to commit as much money or duration to sign Rashid Shaheed as other teams. And he is already on record stating that he would love to return to the Seahawks. That type of public statement often comes with a hint of offering the home team a discount for his services.
Shaheed is a versatile player who could become a multi-purpose solution on the Rams roster. But with so many teams likely to have offer sheets with his name on it, LA's chances of landing him in free agency have never felt more impossible.
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