It’s not often that a player goes from being on one of the least competitively-viable teams in the league to joining a Super Bowl squad, but for the former New Orleans Saint, Rashid Shaheed, that’s exactly what happened. After initially signing Shaheed as an un-drafted free agent in 2022, New Orleans was ultimately able to trade him to a true contender in the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for 2026 fourth- and fifth-round draft picks.
The transaction marks one of those rare instances in which both sides benefited from the deal, as Mickey Loomis was able to ensure some future draft capital for the Saints’ rebuild while a talented player in Shaheed was finally allowed to go and compete in meaningful football games. “It was quite an experience,” Shaheed recalled when asked about the transition.
“Obviously, I enjoyed my time in New Orleans. I loved the city and I loved the fans… They gave me the opportunity to be who I am today. The whole thing happened so fast that you don’t really have time to think about what’s going on… [Seattle] made me feel like I was at home immediately… They made it easy, my teammates and my coaches, so I give them credit for that.”
Shaheed then referenced his time spent with Klint Kubiak in New Orleans, suggesting that it helped to see a familiar face during such a change-filled period of his life.
The newfound head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders was initially the offensive coordinator for the Saints in 2024 before making his way to Seattle prior to the 2025 regular season, and while their reunion certainly proved to be a productive one, they’ve now been separated yet again on account of Kubiak’s popularity.
“He allowed me to hit the ground running,” Shaheed noted. “It only took me about a week before I was able to get the whole system back into my brain; it didn’t take long at all. So I feel like that’s how I was able to acclimate so quickly, it was my familiarity with Klint.”
There’s no denying that the Who Dat nation is still wishing that things would have turned out differently, but they also understand that, in the end, Shaheed’s exit from the Big Easy was best for everyone involved. So even though there isn’t much to celebrate down in the bayou right now, the Cajuns can at least find some solace in the fact that their old friend is now sitting at the mountain top of professional football.