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Bump: Why Shaheed re-signing was good value for Seahawks

After an impactful stint with the Seattle Seahawks last season, wide receiver/return man Rashid Shaheed re-signed with the team on Wednesday.

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Shaheed was acquired in a midseason trade with the New Orleans Saints and spent the final nine games of the regular season plus three playoff games with the Seahawks during their run to the Super Bowl. During that time, he delivered some of the most memorable plays of the season.

Shaheed first showed how dangerous he is as a returner with a 100-yard kickoff return TD that sparked a second-half surge in Seattle’s Week 14 win over Atlanta. Just two weeks later in a pivotal showdown with the Rams, he ignited a wild fourth-quarter comeback with a 58-yard punt return for TD. And he got the Seahawks’ playoff run started off in style with a 95-yard kickoff return TD during the first play of their NFC Divisional Round win over San Francisco.

For as impactful as those play were, Shaheed didn’t have near the production as a receiver, hauling in 18 receptions for 266 yards and no touchdowns over 12 games including the playoffs.

Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus went back and looked at Shaheed’s film as receiver from his time as a Seahawk. He shared what stood out, both good and bad, and why he thinks signing Shaheed was a good value for the Seahawks during his Four Down Territory segment on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“He’s good off the line. I like his release,” Bumpus said. “He has a couple releases that he goes to that work, and the reason why they work is because he’s extremely fast so you have to respect everything that he does. I think that once he gets on a defender’s hip, he is gone. There’s a saying in the receiver world: if he’s even, he’s leaving. That is exactly him. If he is even, the next five strides, he is going to be gone. I love the way that he can track the ball on those deep balls.”

As for what Bumpus would like to see Shaheed improve on?

“The one thing I would say is that the timing going across the middle just isn’t there,” he said. “It feels like sometimes he passes by space, and when you’re running these crossing routes, rule No. 1 is you don’t pass through space unless there’s a route that is going to occupy that space. There were some times where I felt like him and Sam (Darnold) just weren’t on the same page. I think they can get on the same page. I think they will get on the same page. There’s potential there.”

Ultimately, Bumpus feels Shaheed’s lack of production as a receiver worked out in the Seahawks’ favor when it came to re-signing him. His new deal is reportedly for $51 million over three seasons with $34.7 million guaranteed.

“I don’t think there was any other receiver that you can get at that price point that can do some of the things that he does,” Bumpus said. “I mean, we saw Alec Pierce get like $26 million a year (from the Colts). We saw (Wan’Dale) Robinson get a bunch of money ($78 million over four years). Receivers were getting paid (Monday), but because he doesn’t have that production, he can’t ask for that. And I think that was the issue is that he was going out asking for the money that these guys are getting, but he doesn’t have that production.”

With a full offseason to build his connection with Darnold and learn new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s scheme, Bumpus sees Shaheed making a bigger impact as a pass-catcher for the Seahawks in 2026.

“I think he can come back this year and have 700 yards just with reps with Sam Darnold, just getting to know this offense and just starting here instead of (as) a midseason acquisition,” Bumpus said.

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays form 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.