Seahawks Standing Pat At Trade Deadline is Good News for Rashid Shaheed

Whether the Seattle Seahawks should have made another trade before yesterday’s deadline is debatable, but it’s definitely good for one player.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) walks off the field after an injury during the third quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Personally, I think the Seattle Seahawks sitting the trade deadline out was probably the right thing to do. I wouldn’t have objected to a move (although I would have objected to some), but I’m just not convinced a player acquisition moves the needle right now. Some may disagree, which I can certainly understand. But consider the implication of standing pat.

A Failed Wide Receiver Hunt

Per reports leading into the deadline, the Seahawks were believed to be on the lookout for a wide receiver. Whether those reports were accurate is debatable, but it’s fairly believable. Once you get past the great Jaxon Smith-Njigba, things aren’t great in the receiver room. The report even directly said they wanted a wide receiver to complement JSN.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cooper Kupp is too old to get much done on the field, Tory Horton isn’t ready for a bigger role, and Montorie Foster Jr is a fun training camp story that hasn’t shown up in games yet. Yet still, the Seahawks did not make a trade. Perhaps they simply couldn’t find a deal worth making, but also consider the one Seattle wide receiver I didn’t mention in this section yet.

Reading The Tea Leaves

Rashid Shaheed injured his knee a couple weeks ago against the Kansas City Chiefs and has been absent from the field on gameday since. When the report about the Seahawks wanting a wide receiver came out, it was a reasonable assumption that the injury was serious. Given that the team was willing to come up empty-handed, perhaps that’s not the case.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) runs after a catch against the San Francisco 49ers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps the desire to acquire a wide receiver was more about the long-term. Maybe they wanted someone young and promising who could spend the rest of this season acclimating themselves to the team, and then be able to slide right in to take Kupp’s job in 2027. A good idea, but not something so dire that it absolutely had to get done right this moment.

Rashid Shaheed Can Be Enough

If this read is correct, then Rashid Shaheed should be back soon. As in, after the bye week at the latest. And once he gets back, he’ll be able to play effective football. Good enough to suffice as this offense tries to find itself on the back half of the season. Despite his low production thus far, Shaheed remains a great speed threat with excellent hands.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) makes a catch in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To my eyes, Shaheed is getting open and doing his job, he’s just not getting the ball very often due to JSN getting all the targets. He’s also not exactly a clean fit for this offense right now, with much of his value coming as a deep threat and this offense rarely pushing it down the field. Hopefully, when he gets back on the field, that changes.

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