The Seattle Seahawks have several pending free agents of their own to take care of, and unfortunately, that means tough decisions are going to have to be made. One such decision revolves around electric wide receiver and special teams star Rashid Shaheed, who may be finding himself with a new NFL home next season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the Seahawks are not close to an extension with Shaheed, leading him to test the waters of free agency. Fellow ESPN reporter Brady Henderson, who covers the Seahawks, offers an explanation as to the monetary difference between both sides. According to Henderson, Shaheed could go for a contract that could pay has much as $18 million a year.

Shaheed was an incredibly important cog in the Seahawks’ machine last season, a machine that dominated its way to a Super Bowl LX championship. The turning point in the season was Seattle’s incredible 38-37 overtime comeback win over the Rams in Week 16. A comeback that was kicked off (literally) by Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return touchdown while the Seahawks were trailing 30-14 in the fourth quarter. Seattle’s victory altered the destinies of the Seahawks, the Rams, and the rest of the league.

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Shaheed’s explosive playmaking abilities were evident in the postseason. In the Divisional Round, Shaheed opened the game with a 95-yard kick return touchdown to build a 7-0 lead over the San Francisco 49ers. Turns out Shaheed’s touchdown was all the points necessary to win the game, as the 49ers only scored six points in the 41-6 humiliating loss. A week later in the NFC Championship game, Shaheed hauled in a 51-yard bomb on Seattle’s opening drive against the Rams, which eventually was capped off with a touchdown.

However, paying $18 million to a largely gadget-style/special teams player, despite how important he was to the success of the team, is a hard pill to swallow. The Seahawks have massive extensions in the pipeline for both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, not to mention their quarterback Sam Darnold will be up for a new contract next season. There’s only so much money to go around, and even Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III might not be a lock to return.

It’s not often John Schneider makes a move for a one-year/half-year rental player without finding a way to keep him long term, but Shaheed might be priced out of the Emerald City.

If this is truly the end of Shaheed’s time with the Seahawks, he will finish with 266 total receiving yards on 18 receptions. Shaheed also had 628 total return yards and two return touchdowns with Seattle. He will always be remembered as a critical component to the Seahawks’ efforts to bring a second Lombardi back to the Pacific Northwest.

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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks free agency: WR Rashid Shaheed unlikely to be back in Seattle