Panthers Must Pivot to This Backup Plan After Missing Out On Rashid Shaheed

Rashid Shaheed stayed put in Seattle, which left the Panthers without the ability to add a premium deep threat and returner. They still need both.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) cannot catch a pass while defended by New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers were never really linked to Rashid Shaheed in free agency, largely because they seemingly had no money and Shaheed was always probably going to stay with the defending champions.

However, he would've been the absolute perfect fit to fill two major voids: speed at receiver and legitimate kick-returning prowess. The Panthers don't have either, and it has really hampered them in the last few years.

Alas, Shaheed's off the market, and there's really no other NFL player like him, especially not among those still available. So what can the Panthers do?

Panthers must draft KC Concepcion after not signing Rashid Shaheed

Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) signals first down in the first half | Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images

Seattle's offense was already pretty good, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Sam Darnold both benefited from Rasheed Shaheed's arrival at the trade deadline. It helped their offense a good amount.

Seattle had the best special teams in the NFL after that, thanks in large part to Shaheed's return ability. He had multiple runbacks for touchdowns, and that was a big reason they got to and won the Super Bowl.

The Panthers need a similar transformation. A deep threat like that would open things up for Bryce Young down the field, where he excels. It would also take pressure off of Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

Who could do that? In the draft, KC Concepcion is a really good option. He is not quite as speedy as Shaheed. In fact, he's not the speediest receiver in the draft. That would be Brenen Thompson, but he's a late-round prospect.

Concepcion has good speed, YAC abiity, and return prowess. He was a consensus All-American return man. The Panthers could use his services on special teams. He also had a career-best 15.7 yards per reception in 2025.

The best Panther in that regard was Tetairoa McMillan at 14.5, but this would free him up to move all over the field. Jalen Coker was at 11.9, so both are good at going deep, but they're not quite Concepcion-level.

Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) runs the ball against the Miami Hurricanes | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Concepcion isn't a perfect match for Shaheed, who was never going to join the Panthers anyway. But he does provide a good deep target and a strong return man for special teams, and the Panthers need that. He'd replace Xavier Legette, too, which is a bonus.

The Panthers have been mocked to pick him at 19th overall before, but that might be a stretch. Trading back or trading up in the second round to get him would be a smart way to get what Shaheed brings to the table without the cost.