As cameos go, Rashid Shaheed’s 12-game audition for the Seattle Seahawks last season qualified as a star turn, but the dynamic wide receiver is no longer a rental, and he’s made a big change that has some predicting last year’s mid-season trade acquisition will reach a significant statistical milestone for the defending Super Bowl champions during the 2026 NFL campaign.
The prediction comes from ‘Check The Mic’ co-host Sam Monson. He pointed out that “as much as it feels like Rashid Shaheed has broken out long ago, he hasn’t had anything, he’s not even come close to a thousand yards in a single season yet. So, that’s my definition of ‘breakout.’ We’re gonna get a thousand-yard performer, we’re gonna get consistent playmaker all the way through, and just a very, very good player. He already is, but we’re gonna get a bigger role.”
Monson qualified his pro-Shaheed take by stating fellow wideout and 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba won’t be as dominant statistically as he was last season. That will leave more targets for other Seahawks receivers, and there’s a big reason to believe Shaheed will be the main beneficiary.
Rashid Shaheed Making a Big Change for Breakout Year
Head coach Mike Macdonald has already noticed the change in Shaheed. Other keen observers include ‘Locked On Seahawks’ co-host Corbin Smith, who noted how “Shaheed looks like he’s added about maybe 8 to 10 pounds of muscle onto his frame. It’s good weight.”
Smith continued to wax lyrical about how dominant Shaheed was during OTAs, with particular emphasis on the 27-year-old’s enduring “downfield threat.” As well as on Shaheed’s burgeoning rapport with quarterback Sam Darnold, with Smith stating “connection-wise, timing-wise, those two look like they are on a totally different planet than what they were pretty much the entire second half last year where it just didn’t seem like they could quite get on the same page.”
Darnold’s growing comfort level targeting Shaheed deep can unlock the ex-New Orleans Saints speedster’s full potential. So can Shaheed bulking up to win on more routes across the middle and muscle defenses that attempt to eliminate his speed by pressing him underneath, with a safety hovering over the top.
Unlocking Shaheed as a more prolific target will help Darnold improve the already solid 7.8 intended air yards per pass attempt he tallied last season, per Pro Football Reference. An improved partnership can manufacture more plays like this 51-yard connection between Darnold and Shaheed against the Los Angeles Rams in last season’s NFC Championship Game.
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Darnold taking more deep strikes won’t just mean a statistical breakout for Shaheed. It will also create extra opportunities for other key skill players.
Seahawks Looking to New Playmakers
Shaheed taking the top off defenses at a higher rate can open the underneath passing lanes for Smith-Njigba and veteran Cooper Kupp. It would also taken attention away from some of the unexpected playmakers Macdonald and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury are looking to for extra impetus.
One of those is a surprise alternative to 2026 NFL draft first-round pick, running back Jadarian Price. The Seahawks will also get a major boost through the air once Shaheed’s fellow wideout Tory Horton is full healthy after the shin injury that cut his rookie year short.
Last year’s fifth-round pick has a similar skill-set to Shaheed, so the Seahawks would surely look to stretch the field more often with both in the lineup. That’s set to happen soon, according to Macdonald.
Horton will make an impact once he’s at 100 percent, but his role, along with those of JSN and Kupp, will be determined to a large extent by how much a beefed-up Shaeed expands the threat he poses defenses.
Rashid Shaheed Set for Milestone After Big Seahawks Change