For the second year in a row, the New Orleans Saints made a smart trade at the deadline. Last year, it was Marshon Lattimore, and this year it was Rashid Shaheed. The full details of the trade have come in, and in return for the wide receiver, the Saints will be getting a 2026 fourth-round and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks. It's a great haul, as Shaheed signed with the team as a UDFA way back when.
Did the Seahawks give up too much? It's definitely a risk on their part, giving up the top half of their day three draft picks to get a wide receiver who doesn't even have 500 yards receiving yet this year. However, the move makes sense. Shaheed has familiarity with their offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, as he had the same role in New Orleans a year ago. Also, because he already knows the offense in Seattle, he can hit the ground running, something vital for a team in the middle of a playoff race.
Shaheed was on an expiring contract, and if he did leave, the Saints probably would have received a 2027 fourth-round pick. Today, they got themselves something better most expected. The Saints were rumored to be looking for a third round pick, but a fourth round pick always felt more likely. The Saints ended up getting that fourth round pick and some. They don't have to wait a year or settle for one pick. This is a win for New Orleans.
The Rashid Shaheed trade cements that the Saints are in their rebuild era
Well, there's no ignoring it now. For better or for worse, the New Orleans Saints are officially entering a rebuild era. Not that it's something that wasn't well known before, but it's not something that the team themselves confirmed today with the trade of Rashid Shaheed. Trading one of your top wide receivers isn't something that a playoff-ready franchise does, and with the trade of Rashid Shaheed today, the Saints have shown that they aren't one of those.
Currently, the Saints are on track for their worst season in decades. They'll need all the help they can get, and the five draft picks in 2026 that they had before would not have cut it at all. This trade added two more to the bunch.
The trade also provides the opportunity for wide receiver Devaughn Vele to finally see more action. He's someone that the Saints actually gave up a 2026 fourth-rounder for back in August and has barely seen the field so far this season.