The Seahawks didn’t bring Rashid Shaheed in just to add speed. They traded for him at the NFL Trade Deadline to be a difference-maker, and he delivered in the biggest moments as Seattle powered its way to a second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Now the expectation is even higher. After a full offseason with the team, Shaheed enters the 2026 NFL season as one of Seattle’s most intriguing projected impact players, ranked No. 9 on the Seahawks’ top 25 list.
What makes Shaheed so dangerous is simple: he can flip a game in one snap. Seattle believed he could be an explosive, clutch playmaker when it acquired him from the New Orleans Saints, and that belief looked justified almost immediately. In nine regular-season games with the Seahawks, he brought back both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns.
One of those returns changed everything in Week 16. His punt return touchdown helped ignite Seattle’s comeback in a 38-37 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams at home. He also found the end zone on the opening kickoff against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round series.
The offense is where Seattle still wants more from him. Shaheed and quarterback Sam Darnold spent time together in private workouts and also had multiple sessions during mini-camp and OTAs, all aimed at building the kind of timing that can make the passing game click. That work has carried into training camp, where the two have reportedly connected on a pair of 50-yard plays.
That kind of development matters because Shaheed won’t be operating in a vacuum. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the reigning offensive player of the league, is also in the mix, which gives Seattle another dangerous layer if Shaheed settles in as the No. 2 option.
His projection for 2026 is built more on what Seattle thinks he can become than what he already produced in the nine-game sample. He finished that stretch with 15 receptions for 188 yards and seven carries for 64 yards, but he still has not scored an offensive touchdown for the Seahawks.
There’s also room for refinement beyond the numbers. At times, Shaheed has had trouble working through blocks from opposing defensive backs at the line of scrimmage. Still, the Seahawks expect more efficiency, more comfort, and eventually more production from a player they believe is ready to take the next step in Brian Fleury’s offense.
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