TRADED: New Orleans Saints Deal RASHID SHAHEED To The Seattle Seahawks For Draft Picks

TRADED: New Orleans Saints Deal RASHID SHAHEED To The Seattle Seahawks For Draft Picks

The New Orleans Saints tough choice was the right choice, but it shouldn’t be the last choice the New Orleans Saints make as the trade deadline is almost here. We got all that and a little bit of land for you on today’s episode of Locked on Saints. You are Locked on Saints, your daily New Orleans Saints podcast, part of the Locked On Network. your team every day. What is good Hudad Nation and Hudad family? I am your host, your friend Ross Jackson, New Orleans native, your New Orleans Saints expert and credentialed member of the media covering those New Orleans Saints as the Saints beat writer over at louisianaapasports.net. And we’re going to dive right into our big emergency episode here as the trade deadline is mere hours away. The New Orleans Saints have traded away Rasheed Shahid to the Seattle Seahawks. We’ll dive into what that trade means, why it shouldn’t be the last trade the New Orleans Saints make, why this is important, and why they needed to do it, and some of the ramifications of the trade that don’t just focus on the draft capital that they got back in return. We’re going to dive into all that on today’s show. We appreciate you very much, whether it’s your first time or your next time being here with us this time, making it your first listening, being in every day, or here on the show, which is a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. The New Orleans Saints trade of Rasheed Shahed is exactly what the New Orleans Saints needed and it begins a trend that the Saints should not look to end with just a couple of hours until the NFL trade deadline. And the Saints traded Rasheed Jahid to the Seattle Seahawks in return for fourth and fifth round selections in the 2026 NFL draft. taking the Saints from just five selections guaranteed in the upcoming draft to now seven selections guaranteed in the NFL draft and the potential for an eighth depending upon what happens with that compensatory selection that they could get back with the New York Giants signing of Paulson Adibbo that the Saints are still in line to get and is still estimated to potentially be coming their way. So Saints could have eight selections going into this year’s NFL draft which is exactly what they need. Listen, trading away Rasheed Shahid is a very, very tough situation for New Orleans. That is a player that they loved. That is a player that loved this city. That was a player that was beloved by the fan base as well. And that was a player that the Saints absolutely saw could be a part of their future. However, at 27 years old, with one year left or in the final year of his deal, there was no guarantee that he was going to be back here in New Orleans. The Saints found a great place for him to land, which of course was the with the Seattle Seahawks, giving them a chance to get a big-time uh piece there for their passing game and reuniting him with Clint Kubak. That’s going to be a really really great situation for Rasheed Shahid, who short a ball out for the rest of the year and beyond over in Seattle. But for New Orleans, they need building blocks. They need pieces to be able to go out there and rebuild and continue to rebuild their roster. They’re not going to be able to be super active in free agency this upcoming off season. They should be able to make a couple of big moves here and there if they’re able to entice players to come to New Orleans and be a part of the rebuild, which is sure to still be a bit of a struggle through 2026. But they need the draft capital to be able to counteract that. And so getting this draft capital is huge. I’ve seen a lot of criticism around what the Saints got, but really the Saints came in above the market price when it came to wide receivers. A fourth round pick and a fifth round pick in this year’s draft surpasses the market that was set on the trade for Jacobe Meyers, which was a fourth and a six. It’s also better than the Saints would have gotten compensatory selection-wise because they would have probably at best gotten a fourth round pick in 2027 if he would have signed away after this season. and the Saints locking in a fourth and a fifth for this upcoming NFL draft gets them better value than both of those conversations. So valuewise, the Saints actually managed to come in above the market now in order for them to actually make good on this trade. They’ve got to do something meaningful with those selections. how they utilize those selections and what they do with those picks. Much like the Marshon Latimore trade is going to be everything that is, you know, evaluated, right? That’s going to be the entire evaluation of this move. The Seattle Seahawks are going to quickly be winners in this situation because they get Rashaheil on their football field this Sunday if they want him on the field this Sunday, right? He knows Clint Kubak, he knows the offense, he knows the system, he should be able to fit in seamlessly there. But for the Saints to be winners in this situation as well, they’re going to have to wait and they’re going to have to invest the draft capital correctly. The Saints have not been the strongest drafting team. In fact, they’ve been far from one of the strongest drafting teams since the incredible 2017 draft that they had. The 2025 draft class has looked good so far. So maybe that indicates a little bit of a shift in terms of their fortune when it comes to drafting. But that is what’s going to be the big time kind of evaluation point for this draft. And they are in a dead heat right now for the number one overall selection. The New York Giants are shipping away players. They traded away Sauce Gardner. They traded away Quinnon Williams. They are in hot pursuit of that number one overall selection. And the Saints should be doing the same. The Saints should not be done here. This should not be the only move that the Saints make. they should be out there looking for more opportunities to continue to stockpile some of this draft capital and continue to stockpile the building blocks that they need for their future. Whether it’s uh a guy like quarterback Alante Taylor has been in conversation reportedly to the uh Indianapolis Colts were in in the mix was the phrase that was used for Alante Taylor before landing sauce Gardner. in the mix seems to imply that there are additional teams that were interested there. And so if there were any opportunities to potentially move him for some premium draft capital or good draft capital, that’s a spot that makes sense. I think that trading a guy like Ces Ruiz, potentially continuing to have conversations around Chris Olive, like this is the time now to where the Saints need to be making uncomfortable decisions, decisions that hurt, decisions that stink, but decisions that get them good draft capital back. When you name those players, it’s not because those players don’t contribute. It’s not because those players are bad players, quote unquote. It’s not because you’re frustrated with those players. You name those players because they’re good freaking players. And those are good players that are going to get you returns on that value that are going to get you good value on those returns. Excuse me. And so, just like they did with Rashid Shahid, they made a tough choice and it was the right choice in order to be able to build up what they’re doing. That’s not about Rasheed Shahid. That is about the fact that Rasheed Shahi is a good player that’s going to get you value. The right choice was getting value. They got it and they should not be done yet. They should still continue to be looking to make some moves. We’ll see if they do. Coming up next, I want to take a look at the non-compensatory side of what this means for the New Orleans Saints because the Saints get two potential wins. They have to make sure that they’re wins, but two potential wins out of this move that have nothing to do with the draft capital that they brought back. Let’s get to that next as we continue on with today’s episode of Locked On Saints, part of Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today’s episode of Locked On Saints is brought to you by our friends over at Built. We all pay rent, but now it’s time to make rent work for you and get something back for it. That is where Built comes in. Built is changing the game by turning your rent payment into real rewards that you can actually use. When you pay your bills through rent, you earn flexible, excuse me, through uh when you pay your rent through built. Uh you get flexible points that you can redeem towards hundreds of different hotels and airlines, a future rent payment if you want to, as well as your next lift ride, and much more. But built isn’t just about rent. It’s also rewarding people from around their entire neighborhood. Everything from your favorite local restaurant, heading to the gym, and of course, you’re earning rewards all the way through. So turn your rent into rewards by earning points around your neighborhood by heading over to joinbuilt.com/lockedonfl. That’s j o i nb i lt.com/lockton NFL to make sure that make sure you use that link so that they know that we sent you. Today’s episode also brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel, the official sports betting partners of the NBA, which is back and in full swing. And there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel. Even if you miss the beginning of a game and you want to ride the hot hand, well, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who scores next to fourth quarter comebacks and more. Plus, you can even combine all your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot in an even bigger payout. It keeps everything around the game more exciting. The Saints headed to Carolina this weekend. Four and a half point underdogs as of now. Perhaps that line moves here after the trade deadline. But what doesn’t move is some fantastic deals over at FanDuel because right now new customers at FanDuel can get $300 in bonus bets when you win your first $5 bet. So head over to fanuel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel today, the official sports betting partners of the NBA. All right, everybody, taking a look at the non-compensatory benefits of this move for New Orleans. There’s very little benefit to really highlight when it comes to losing a player that is as talented as Rasheed Shahid, but this does open the door to some additional opportunities. Uh, forgive me as I scour to see if there are any other moves that have been made. I’ll be relying on our live chat here throughout to let me know if anything anything else pops off. Uh, if you’re catching the show after we’re live here, we appreciate you very much for checking us out. I I think that the other thing that we have to look at here is the door opening for Devon Vele. this is a big opportunity for him. Now, the Saints gave up, everybody feels like an overpay when it comes to talking about the Devon Vele uh move. They gave up a fourth round pick, their original fourth round pick, which right now would have been the number one fourth round pick uh in this uh in this draft would have been the the first selection of day three in the draft, but they gave up that and then a 27th round selection to bring him here to New Orleans. You’ve recouped that now. You got a fourth round pick from the Seattle Seahawks. It’s not going to be as high as the selection that you gave up to get Devon Vele if you’re the New Orleans Saints, but you get that fifth round pick and now you’ve got two fifths, a fourth, potentially a second fourth on the way as well, depending upon how things go when it comes to the um when it comes to the Devon, no, I’m sorry, the Pulse and Ado, my apologies, um compensatory selection. And so now you get a chance to actually get the Vonve out on the field and see if the value that you paid was worth it. right now it has not been. He has had 10 targets so far this season. 10 one zero 10 targets through eight games for a guy that you gave up a top 100 selection to get into your offense and is one of the only players on your offense at that position that brings his specific level or his specific skill set which is that of a big-bodied wide receiver that can go out there and make some tough catches for you. This is a guy that had, you know, what, 55 targets last year and and ended up being somebody as a seventh round selection that got a whole lot of praise and had a whole lot of praise heaped about him because of all the things that he was able to contribute to that Denver Broncos team. The Saints need to find a way to make sure that they are utilizing Devon Vele and this is a chance for them to do that with Rasheed Shahid now traded away and now being a 62 like six six win to two loss Seattle Seahawk U that gives them that gives the Saints now the snaps that they need to be able to get a look at Devon Vele and figure out whether or not what they gave up was worth it to get him on with the deals uh with a couple of years that are left on his deal. So, this is a big-time need for New Orleans because the rest of the season is, and this is going to stink for a lot of Saints fans to hear, but the rest of the season is not about winning games anymore. The rest of this season is all, and really it hasn’t been about winning games, as is evidenced by the one win on the season so far. The rest of this season is about evaluating the players that you have. And so if you can make another move, if you trade away a a Brandon Cooks who signed here in New Orleans with a very different understanding in terms of what it was that this team was going to be versus what it is, uh, then you open up the door to get more looks at Mason Typton. Does Trey Palmer come off of injured reserve? This is an opportunity now for you to see the rest of this team and get a real opportunity as an organization to evaluate based upon what it is that you have seen. So we’ll see where or that that which you have uh you have um uh brought in. And so I think that the Saints who have now traded Rasheed Shahed shouldn’t be done here. They should be looking at additional opportunities to add draft capital and to open up ways for you to be able to get a look at some of those other younger players as well. Send those veterans to a place where they can go out there, play, compete, do all those things while you focus on your evaluation season. The other thing that I think gets opened up quite a bit here with this move is that it takes the contract negotiations at wide receiver and focuses all of the the attention and energy to Chris Olive unless Chris Olive ends up being moved by the time the trade deadline gets here. I think all things are possible at this point, but I don’t see that being the case. The Saints very much want to keep uh Chris Olive. Chris Olave very much wants to be here in New Orleans, but that was also what was the truth around Rasheed Shaheen too. And so we’ll see exactly where things go next. But assuming that Chris Alam does not get traded by the end of the day here, this allows the Saints to focus all of the contract negotiation conversation and all of the money that goes into that conversation to Chris Ave as opposed to knowing that you have a wide receiver also on an expiring contract at the end of this year that you also kind of have to get figured out as well. And that those would have been two sizable contracts. They wouldn’t be I think record not record-breaking. What’s the word to look for? Market setting. They wouldn’t be market setting contracts, but both those contracts put together would have been cumbersome for a team that’s already $21 million under the salary cap to begin 2026. Now, we say that every year about the Saints. They find their way out of it. Blah blah blah blah. We know. But if this is really about rebuilding for this team, which very clearly it is. They’ve traded for a guy that’s an injured reserve in the hopes of being able to reinvest in him after the season and Jaylen Pulk, who’s a really talented wide out. They traded away Rasheed Jahed. They’ve made other moves that have effectively shown you that this is, you know, in terms of retirements and players that they didn’t bring back and all that. They’ve effectively showed you that they are in action embracing the rebuild even though in language they’re not. Uh this allows the Saints to be able to focus the contract part of that rebuild in terms of locking down players to be a part of their future uh solely to Chris Ave at the position and then pursuing another wide receiver probably in the coming years to add to him so that he can be the complimentary piece to a number one guy or vice versa depending upon what the roles are and how the offense what the offense calls for all those other things. I’m not going to pretend to estimate what that’s going to be a year, two years down the road. So we’ll see how things go. But this does open up opportunities for New Orleans having dealt Rashid Shahid, gotten a strong return back for him, put him in a really good position, which in situation, which is showing some respect to that player, which I think he deserves, and then putting you in position to be able to evaluate your talent, look at additional moves that could potentially be made down the road here today. And then of course uh continuing to be able to to deal out what your future is going to look like from a monetary perspective as well. So there you go. That’s all my thoughts on the trade so far. If the Saints make another move, we’ll be right back here to make sure you’ve got everything that you need on it. Fingers crossed. I for you. I I really think that they should uh still be dealing here. Like you look at the New York Jets and what they’ve done so far. I think the Saints should have a similarly aggressive approach to the remainder of this day and the trade deadline as a whole. Uh because this is a team that very much needs its assets going into the off seasonason. So Rasheed to the Seattle Seahawks a fourth and fifth round pick from 2026 coming back. Saints might not be done. They get an opportunity to look at Devon Bailey. They get an opportunity to really callull their conversation with Chris Olive and ideally aren’t finished here for the rest of the day. But we’ll see how the rest of the day pans out. We appreciate you very much for joining us for this emergency episode of the show. We’ll still have an episode for you tomorrow morning on Wednesday. Likely still looking at and breaking down the rest of the trade deadline because I’ll tell you right now, if the Saints don’t make any other moves, I think it’s a big-time missed opportunity on their part and an opportunity that they can’t miss out on. We got all that coming up for you in tomorrow’s episode. If I don’t see you before then, thanks so much as always making us a part of your day, part of your routine for saying yes to me and the show. If you see me, please say hi. And if you need anything else around your New Orleans Saints in between these episodes, make sure you follow me on your favorite social media, RossJackn OA. Hit me up. Let me know a family’s doing them. How you living, let me know how you moming them. and trusted Nation. I’ll holl at you.

The New Orleans Saints got a deal done before the NFL Trade Deadline, sending Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks. The move gets the Saints some much-needed drat picks in return and now opens up a chance to get a real look at WR Devaughn Vele.

It also lightens the load on contract negotiations at the position, being that Shaheed was on an expiring contract and Chris Olave is set to his his fifth-year option next season. The question remains, are the Saints done?

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