RENTON, Wash. (AP) — As much as Rashid Shaheed felt like he was jumping on a moving train last season, the wide receiver was convinced that returning to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks was the right call.
Shaheed, who signed a $51 million, three-year contract in March, made it clear shortly after he was acquired from the New Orleans Saints in November 2025 that he wanted to stick in the Emerald City. Though Shaheed’s production dropped off
in a less significant role with the Seahawks, the end result more than compensated.
After all, Shaheed secured his first Super Bowl ring.
“Coming here and becoming a Super Bowl champion, you couldn’t really write it any better,” Shaheed said on Tuesday, four days into training camp. “I just felt like I was able to come in and help the best way I could. That definitely gave me confidence going into this year.”
Shaheed, who had 59 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns last season for Seattle and New Orleans, hopes to continue building chemistry with quarterback Sam Darnold. The San Diego native spent a good chunk of the offseason training with Darnold, who also hails from Southern California, at Saddleback College in Orange County.
“That helps a ton, just getting timing down,” Shaheed said, “just being able to work with your quarterback outside of the facility is always a good thing. I’m building chemistry, getting timing down, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build through this time in camp.”
Coach Mike Macdonald seconded Shaheed’s assessment. From his perspective, the speedy wide receiver’s timing with Darnold has improved dramatically.
“I think they’ve picked up right where they left off,” Macdonald said. “I know they put in some work this offseason, as well throughout the summer, and that’s definitely paying dividends.”
The 27-year-old wideout also hopes to gain a better understanding of the Seahawks’ playbook, though Seattle’s offense will look a bit different in 2026. First-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury was a member of San Francisco’s coaching staff from 2019 onward, and spent the last four seasons as the 49ers’ tight ends coach.
Fleury is calling plays on offense now and not current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, but Shaheed said he’s already become more comfortable with Seattle’s offensive scheme. Shaheed said he is both playing faster, and thinking a lot less.
“So many players are going to get opportunities to get the ball,” Shaheed said, “and I’m excited to just be a part of it.”
All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year who set team records for receiving yards with 1,793 and receptions with 119 last season, is similarly excited to have Shaheed back on the scene.
“I’m happy he gets to have a full offseason and a training camp,” Smith-Njigba said. “Excited for him. Him getting connected with Sam as well. Taking that Year 2 step is going to be big for all of us, especially in the receiver room.”
As for Shaheed, he wants to build off of what was a wildly successful season for the team, much like Smith-Njigba. A productive training camp, meanwhile, would consist of racking up as many repetitions as possible with Darnold.
So far, Shaheed has done precisely that – both at the practice facility, and long before the Seahawks reconvened at it.
“It’s definitely helped me out, being here throughout OTAs and now training camp, just getting a feel for how things move around here during the offseason,” Shaheed said. “It’s been nothing but great.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
