Saints-Steelers Trade Speculation Actually Makes Sense

It’s going to be a big day for the New Orleans Saints.

By the end of the day on Tuesday we will know who who will be sticking around with the Saints after the trade deadline, and who could be on the way out of town.

Someone Saints fans should be watching closely in the waning hours of the deadline is wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. The receiver has been in rumors for weeks and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio even said it is "widely believed" around the league that Shaheed is available for the right price. Now, it's only a matter of seeing if someone actually reaches the Saints' asking price, or if this is all just pre-deadline noise.

The speculation out there has been endless, but some of it has made some sense. For example, Yahoo Sports senior writer Frank Schwab floated the idea of Shaheed to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"WR Rashid Shaheed to Steelers," Schwab said. "Shaheed is another Saints player who could be on the move, and he would help anyone in the playoff race. The Steelers don't have enough pop on the outside other than DK Metcalf. That's why their passing offense revolves around tight ends. The Steelers should feel good after beating the Colts on Sunday, and maybe a move for receiver help could be another boost."

The Saints should call the Steelers as fast as possible

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) makes a reception against Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Christian Braswell (21) during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

If the Saints are going to trade Shaheed, the Steelers would be the perfect team to target.

Pittsburgh has a clear No. 1 receiver in DK Metcalf, but its receiver room is questionable behind him, to say the least. Pittsburgh is still in first place in the AFC North, though. The Steelers are 5-3 and with Aaron Rodgers potentially playing in his final season, New Orleans should get the Steelers on the phone as soon as possible to see if Pittsburgh is willing to overpay to give the future Hall of Famer another weapon.

Shaheed is having the best year of his career with 499 yards and 44 catches through nine games. If he was on the Steelers, he would be leading the team in catches by a wide margin. Metcalf is leading Pittsburgh with 29 receptions. Shaheed would also be the leading receiver in yardage as Metcalf has 467 yards right now.

The Saints shouldn't just give away Shaheed, but Pittsburgh might be a team desperate enough to give New Orleans a good return because it wants to win now and maximize Rodgers.

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