The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for the big stage at the Super Bowl in nearly a decade, but they could lose free agent Rashid Shaheed this upcoming offseason. After trading for Shaheed before the trade deadline, the weapon has emerged as one of the most valuable additions to this offense. Bleacher Report predicted that the Seahawks may lose Shaheed due to his production that might be out of the team’s budget. This might be true because Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is expected to take a head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Top NFL Free Agent Rashid Shaheed Could Leave After Super Bowl to Join These Teams
Despite recording just 252 scrimmage yards as a receiver, Shaheed has turned heads multiple times throughout the regular season and playoffs. He’s a weapon that the team can’t afford to lose, but it might be the last time during the Super Bowl anyone will see him in a Seahawks uniform. Originally selected as an undrafted rookie, the former two-time Pro Bowler spent the first few years of his career as a New Orleans Saint. Since the Saints weren’t in the winning column, the team decided to trade Shaheed to Seattle, which has revitalized the entire momentum for Sam Darnold’s offense that already contained Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Shaheed is projected to earn nearly $15 million annually, and those numbers are likely to boost if the Seahawks win the big game. While the team probably doesn’t envision the young emerging star elsewhere, here are three contenders that are prepared to aggressively pursue him at the right deal.
Top Suitors Emerge
Buffalo Bills
The Bills originally tried to trade for Shaheed before joining the Seahawks. They might have a chance with the new head coach, Joe Brady, steering the ship for this organization. Quarterback Josh Allen hasn’t had a premier receiver since Stefon Diggs was a part of the team. Despite signing Keon Coleman, they need some momentum to revitalize the receiving unit between Coleman and Khalil Shakir. While they could re-sign Brandin Cooks to another one-year deal to run it back, it might be wiser to bring in a younger option with more upside in Shaheed.
Joshua Palmer should be back, but the future could be gloomy for Curtis Samuel and Cooks. Shaheed might not have the biggest role in the pass game, but he could easily turn into an explosive high-end weapon to return the ball and put Allen and the offense in solid field position.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Expect the Jaguars to be a team to keep an eye on Shaheed. Even though the Jaguars want to keep Brian Thomas Jr., they traded for Jakobi Meyers and gave him a contract extension a few weeks later. This tells you that the Jaguars’ offense could be heading in a different direction with Meyers and Travis Hunter as their cornerstone receivers. Don’t be surprised if the team puts Thomas on the trade block, and if they do, they should pick up Shaheed as a possible replacement for Liam Coen’s scheme.
Los Angeles Chargers
This might be the perfect fit for Shaheed. The Los Angeles Chargers haven’t had a decent long-term receiver since Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. Other than Ladd McConkey, the Chargers should rebuild their pass-game for Justin Herbert, who needs exploding weapons if they want to see themselves in the AFC Championship. Tyreek Hill is still an option due to his relationship with the new Chargers offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel.
Shaheed joining the Chargers still makes sense since the team is used to running the ball and the speed that comes with it.
