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EspañolMore than a few teams may find they have a need for Shaheed this offseason.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is set to hit the open market as a free agent in the next week after establishing a higher value for himself with an excellent showing in 2025.
Shaheed managed to be the only player to play in all 18 weeks of the 2025 season after a midseason trade from the New Orleans Saints to Seattle meant he dodged both teams' bye weeks. During those 18 games, the wide out/return specialist set a new career high with 1,542 all-purpose yards (756 scrimmage yards), caught two touchdown passes and returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown.
The fourth-year receiver earned the second Pro Bowl nod of his career for his regular season performance, but Shaheed only continued to boost his free agent value in the playoffs.
In the first postseason game of his career, Shaheed took an opening kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown against the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. He finished Seattle's Super Bowl run with four returns for 167 total kick return yards. Shaheed also added 100 scrimmage yards on seven touches – four carries and three receptions – and 16 yards on punt returns to bring his all-purpose yards total to 283.
Teams seeking dynamic receiver help from a field-stretcher that can also excel at returning kicks should be looking to sign Shaheed this offseason. These four teams are his best fits:
Rashid Shaheed best fits
Las Vegas Raiders
New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is joining his new team off of a successful, Super Bowl-winning stint as the Seahawks' offensive coordinator. Before that, he was New Orleans' offensive coordinator during the 2024 season, where he got his first experience working with Shaheed.
As Kubiak takes over the reigns in the desert, adding another target for presumed No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to throw to should be among the Raiders' top priorities. Tight end Brock Bowers has proven that he can be an effective top target in a passing offense, even with lesser quarterbacks, but the Raiders don't have a lead wide receiver after trading away Jakobi Meyers last year.
Shaheed can be a bit of help at receiver and a player who can complement Bowers' role in the offense. He'd reunite with Kubiak, an offensive mind who knows how to deploy him effectively, and he'd get more chances to excel as a return man for a Las Vegas team hoping for brighter days in 2026.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh is another team with a new, offensive-minded head coach and a proven No. 1 receiver that is looking for some help beefing up the rest of its receiving corps.
Mike McCarthy and whoever quarterbacks the Steelers in 2026 will often be looking DK Metcalf's way in the passing game, but Metcalf's two-game suspension to end the 2025 season showed how badly Pittsburgh needed him to make its offense work. In a Week 18 do-or-die game against the Ravens, the Steelers' lead receiver by targets, catches and yards was running back Kenneth Gainwell. Pittsburgh won the game, in part because of his heroics as a pass-catcher, but Gainwell, who was also the team's lead kick returner, is hitting free agency. The Steelers clearly need someone outside of Metcalf to throw to in their pass game.
Enter Shaheed, an excellent fit in McCarthy's offense given his ability to open up the deep ball. He's also a return specialist that can replace Gainwell, should the running back depart in free agency. The Seahawks' receiver could complement Metcalf's big-bodied, "X" receiver play style as a shifty, gadget-type player that can take advantage of opposing defenses with his game-breaking speed.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is a third team with a new, offensive-minded head coach with an established leading receiver and not much behind him in the receiving corps.
Kevin Stefanski's newest weapon could be Shaheed, a wideout to complement Drake London in the wide receiver room. Adding another target for whomever quarterbacks the Falcons in 2026 should be among top offseason priorities for Atlanta given the lackluster wideout performances behind London.
Shaheed is one of the most attractive options available on the market with his outstanding breakaway speed and versatility as a kick returner, something the Falcons could use after releasing Jamal Agnew last year. What's more, Atlanta fans would love to see a former Saint join their team's ranks to torture his former squad twice a year.
Seattle Seahawks
Of course, there's always the chance Shaheed sticks to one of the places he knows best. Seattle quickly embraced Shaheed as he proved himself to be a game-changer, particularly on their special teams down the stretch.
In his fifth game for the Seahawks, in Week 14 last year, Shaheed returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown. During a crucial Week 16 game against the Rams, his 58-yard punt return and 31-yard rush on consecutive drives helped flip the game – and Seattle's shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC – back in his team's favor after an early deficit.
Shaheed told USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon he "absolutely" would like to stay with the Seahawks after their Super Bowl run.
"This organization has been great to me since Day 1," he said.
New Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's ability to utilize Shaheed as effectively as Kubiak would still be to be determined. However, there's no doubt Seattle could still use the wideout in a complementary role opposite Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, in addition to his skills as a return specialist, in 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rashid Shaheed landing spots: 4 best fits for free agent WR