There is a very good chance that the Seattle Seahawks could begin the 2025 season with just one wide receiver who was on the roster last year. We all know that longtime stalwarts Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf are gone, and that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the clear WR1. After that, everything is up in the air.
The two veterans ostensibly brought in to replace Lockett and Metcalf – Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling – will certainly be on the field a lot. Fifth-round draft pick Tory Horton would appear to have an excellent shot of taking one of the primary depth roles.
Another draftee, Ricky White III, brings an extraordinary special teams resume to the NFL. Players like that always have a leg up when competing for back-end spots on a roster.
Horton may end up competing with veteran free agent Steven Sims to be the Hawks’ primary kick returner. If Sims wins that role, that adds up to six wide receivers with a good shot of making the roster. And we have yet to mention a trio of backups from 2024 – Jake Bobo, Cody White, and Dareke Young, all of whom will be competing for a spot.
What are the Seahawks missing at the wide receiver position
With all those players jostling for playing time, it would seem that the Seahawks don’t need to bring in more talent. But that would overlook one major weakness in the current crop of wideouts.
Seattle does not really have an explosive, versatile playmaker in the slot.
JSN had a breakout year in 2024, but his big-play production never materialized. That should change this season. Metcalf and Lockett, who ate up a large portion of the downfield shots, are gone. JSN’s role is going to evolve, and he should be running patterns at every level.
After him, MVS certainly has big-play numbers. A career average of 17.4 yards-per-catch attests to that. However, MVS is a limited route runner. He is tall and fast and will be asked to stretch the defense from a classic Z position. Perhaps Klint Kubiak will look to expand his route tree, but that is far from given.
In his prime, Kupp was a savvy route runner who could manufacture sneaky yards-after-catch with the best of them. He remains savvy, but his explosiveness is largely a thing of the past. His 10.6 yards-per-catch from 2024 is probably near his ceiling at this point.
None of the other veterans – Sims, White, Bobo – have ever shown the ability to scare an opposing defense. Perhaps the rookies can do it, but they have never been tested in the pros.
If Seattle wants an established player who can offer explosive plays from a variety of sets, there may be one available. And it is a player offensive coordinator Kubiak knows very well.
Rumors have been floating recently that the New Orleans Saints are willing to listen to offers for receiver/returner Rashid Shaheed. If true, this is a move John Schneider needs to seriously consider.
In three seasons with the Saints, Shaheed has caught 94 passes at an excellent 16.6 yards per catch. He has scored ten touchdowns through the air and another on the ground. What’s more, he has been an elite punt returner, First-Team All-Pro in 2023.
Except for JSN, whose role will be expanding this season, Seattle doesn’t have anything close to the versatile firepower that Shaheed can supply. He could line up in the slot or move outside. He can run gadget plays out of the backfield. And he can put an immediate end to the kick returner debate.
There is one major caveat when considering trading for Shaheed. He missed eleven games in 2024 with a torn meniscus. The speed of his recovery shouldn't be a major issue. If Seattle has to wait until the middle of the season for him to be at full speed, that is probably an acceptable risk-reward situation.
The bigger issue is whether he will be the same player he was before the injury. Saheed is just 26 years old, and he has steadily improved throughout his time in the pros. If he returns at full speed, he could be a huge boost for an offense that has a lot of question marks. There is no reason to assume he will not make a complete recovery, but the situation needs to be monitored.
The very fact that New Orleans is considering dealing a young, rising star has led some to speculate about that knee injury. But there are other factors in play. He was an undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2022.
He has never been an unrestricted free agent. He will be after the upcoming season. Assuming he plays at the same level he showed early in 2024, Shaheed will be looking for a major raise.
New Orleans projects to be in serious salary cap trouble heading into next year. They want to extend Chris Olave and need to resolve a difficult quarterback situation. They may not be able to afford Shaheed beyond 2025 and, therefore, may be looking to make their best deal this offseason.
Klint Kubiak knows exactly what Rashid Shaheed can bring to an offense, and early in the offseason, what he offers appears to be something the Seahawks desperately need – creative open field explosiveness and big plays on both offense and special teams. At the very least, John Schneider needs to be making inquiries.
