Rashid Shaheed just confirmed what Saints fans already knew about his trade

Anyone second guessing the New Orleans Saints decision to trade Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks needs to look no further than Shaheed's foray into free agency to justify the Saints' decision.

Bleacher Report's Alex Kay looks back on the trade in an unfavorable light. He was once extremely high on the Saints making the deal, giving New Orleans an A- at the time. That grade has now dipped to a C. The Seahawks grade went from a B- to an A+

It's fair to change the Seahawks grade when viewing the impact Shaheed made for them. Dropping the Saints's grade due to Shaheed's success only strips away the context of the trade. The Saints' reasons for making the trade stand as valid to this day.

Rashid Shaheed's success is not a reason to question the Saints decision to trade him

Simple and plain, the Rashid Shaheed trade had to happen. There was very few universes where he stayed in New Orleans past 2025, and the proof is in the pudding.

The Saints dealt Shaheed to the Seahawks, and he became a Super Bowl champion. On top of that, he was an important part of their Super Bowl team. When you see the instant results and big time moments en route to a Lombardi trophy, it's natural for some to second guess the decision. There's two things you need to remember: the Saints weren't in the Super Bowl hunt, and his contract was expiring.

Even if Shaheed made the same impact with the Saints in the tailend of the season, it wouldn't have made nearly the same amount of ripples. Shaheed's touchdown return swung momentum in favor of Seattle and was a pivotal moment in the Seahawks' pursuit of a number one seed wouldn't have had the same stakes if he didn't get traded, so it's unfair to compare the magnitude of those moments.

Additionally, the Saints didn’t trade Shaheed because of quality of play. They traded him because he was going to walk in free agency. He’s testing the market after a Super Bowl victory. He would have certainly done the same after missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. 

Shaheed could always go back to Seattle. The Seahawks have yet to pay Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and they could easily stagger those contracts. The Saints are likely paying Chris Olave this offseason, so it would have been harder for the Saints to retain him financially.