Saints-Rashid Shaheed Trade Already Looks Like Bust for New Orleans

The New Orleans Saints were out of playoff contention at the trade deadline last season, so they opted to sell. The big move they made was a trade that sent Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round draft pick and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick.

Shaheed would go on to win the Super Bowl with Seattle, and the Saints haven't had the chance to use either draft pick.

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But who won the deal? Considering Shaheed played a crucial role in a Super Bowl victory, it seems like the answer is obvious.

At the time of the trade, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay gave the Seahawks a "B-" grade while he gave the Saints an "A-" grade. Fast forward a few months and Kay has updated his grades and given the Seahawks an "A+" grade while giving the Saints a "C" grade.

Saints might regret trading Rashid Shaheed to Seahawks

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) breaks up a pass intended for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) in the first half in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"While his regular season numbers weren't jumping off the page—Shaheed recorded 15 catches for 188 yards and seven rushing attempts for 64 yards—he flashed his incredible returning abilities by housing both a kick and punt return," Kay wrote. "Come the playoffs, Shaheed continued to give Seattle a massive special teams edge.

"He only returned four kickoffs across the team's three-game run to the Lombardi Trophy, but the dynamic playmaker amassed a whopping 167 yards in total—including a 95-yard return for a touchdown to open the NFC Championship Game—on those runbacks. Given Seattle gave up a pair of meager Day 3 picks to turn the return unit into one of the league's most dangerous and propel a Super Bowl run, it's safe to say the squad won this trade in a big way."

It's clear and obvious that the Seahawks are winners in this deal. Landing a pivotal player for two late round picks is the kind of move that gets general managers the praise they deserve.

But that doesn't mean the Saints were losers in the deal, per se.

The Saints got as much value as they could from a player in his final year with the team. Shaheed likely wasn't coming back to New Orleans after the season and the Saints got some value out of him instead of losing him for nothing.

Just because Shaheed found success outside of New Orleans doesn't mean the Saints are losers in the deal. Still, the Saints need to find quality players with the draft selections to justify the move as even.

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