What 3 NFL insiders said about Seahawks’ Rashid Shaheed trade

Nov 5, 2025, 12:06 PM

Editor, Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks are tied for the best record in the NFC at 6-2, and they now have a new deep threat for Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold following Tuesday’s trade with the New Orleans Saints for speedy wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.

Instant Reaction: Seahawks trade ‘bigger move than people realize’

Seattle Sports caught up with several well-known NFL insiders in the aftermath of the Seahawks’ splashy move who reacted to the trade. Here’s a quick look at what some of them said about Shaheed’s addition.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com

Fresh off of the Seahawks swinging their deal with the Saints for Shaheed, Edholm had them at No. 1 in his new NFL power rankings. A few hours later on Tuesday afternoon, he spoke about why it was a good move when he joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

In particular, he pointed out how it both gives the Hawks some insurance while they deal with injuries to multiple receivers including veteran Cooper Kupp, and how it adds an extra dynamic to the offense regardless of how healthy the team is.

“You don’t know what you’re going to get out of Cooper with the heel, and is it going to keep lingering? Do you have another option that you really, truly trust?” Edholm said. “(Rookie Tory Horton) has obviously been great, the tight ends have been terrific. You don’t need to say anything more about what (NFL leading receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba) has done this year. But having that one other deep threat just to draw the safeties’ attention away and pull another guy out of the box and give you somebody downfield to throw to kind of further enhances the idea that they are a second- and third-level passing team that can use play-action and do all kinds of fun stuff.

“I mean, it’s exciting. I think it’s kind of a different identity than I imagined them having a year ago, but so far it’s worked out really nicely.”

Mark Schlereth, NFL on FOX broadcaster

Also on Wyman and Bob, their weekly visit with former Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman Mark Schlereth touched on what Shaheed will bring to Seattle.

“He can flat out run, dude. That dude’s greased lightning on the outside,” Schlereth said. “I think it’s always one of those things that anytime you can get a guy that’s a threat – (a) lift the top off the coverage threat – what it does to open up all your underneath stuff, just that weapon that it gives you.”

Always one to have jokes, Schlereth took the opportunity to have some fun at the expense of Kupp. That was related to Schlereth’s standing as a proud former Idaho Vandals standout, a program that plays in the Big Sky along with both Kupp and Shaheed’s alma maters, the Eastern Washington Eagles and Weber State Wildcats, respectively.

“Cooper Kupp has a hamstring (injury), although I did not know Cooper Kupp ran fast enough to pull a hamstring, so that’s good to know. He’s faster than I thought,” Schlereth quipped. “I love Cooper, but he is an Eastern Washington guy so I gotta give him a little grief. Although Rashid Shaheed is a Weber State guy. You guys are populating the Big Sky. The Big Sky is represented well there in Seattle, so good for you guys.”

Joel Klatt, FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst

On Wednesday morning, Klatt spoke about how opposing defenses will have to approach the Seahawks now with Shaheed in the mix during his weekly conversation with Brock and Salk.

“Well, it extends the defense, No. 1. When you put speed on the field, they have to respect that,” Klatt said. “Now, I’ve never felt like Sam was a great deep ball thrower but I think he’s gotten better. But what it does is it lifts the pressure off of those intermediate zones, and it allows the guys underneath him to operate with a greater amount of freedom and space. That’s a good get and I think that’s why they got him.

“It’s not necessarily – even though you would love some productivity from (Shaheed) – but it’s the threat of stretch, and the threat of stretch provides space.”

Klatt also mentioned that in a year where no one team has truly jumped out as the best in the NFL, the Seahawks could now make some noise.

“None of these teams you would say are complete. Maybe Seattle is as close to that as possible,” he said. “I would love for them to run the football a little bit better, but I mean at this point we’re splitting hairs. You know, Denver has problems, but they’re a good team. Indy, same thing. And obviously on the NFC side, for what the Seahawks will face, these teams that we thought were going to be great haven’t panned out. Like, Green Bay losing to Cleveland and Carolina – where did that come from?”