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Seattle Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed.
It’s already shaping up to be one of the biggest offseasons in the Las Vegas Raiders‘ history. Not only did they hire Klint Kubiak as the next head coach, but they also hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They are expected to add Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza with that pick.
That’s not to mention that the Raiders are projected to have the second-most salary cap space in the NFL. The team is in a rebuild, but they have the means to turn things around very quickly.
If that’s going to happen, they need to set Mendoza up for success. The Raiders’ wide receiver room might be the weakest in the NFL. Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton are all promising young players, but none of them are No. 1 wide receivers in 2026.
Landing a true No. 1 might prove to be difficult, but the Raiders could double down on speed. Former All-Pro return specialist Rashid Shaheed has developed into one of the best deep threats in the NFL. He spent the last two seasons being coached by Kubiak, and he’s a free agent.
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports believes he’s the one free agent the Raiders need to sign this offseason.
“The Raiders similarly need to get explosive — especially at receiver,” Dubin wrote. “Shaheed brings elite speed to the position and could be a really nice fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense if he becomes a more featured piece in Las Vegas than he has been in Seattle. Fernando Mendoza could use someone to stretch the field for Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty.”
Raiders Would Have Elite Speed at WR With Shaheed Signing
If the Raiders manage to land Shaheed, they’d have one of the fastest wide receiver corps in the NFL. Tucker ran a 4.32 40-yard dash before coming into the NFL, while Thornton ran a 4.30 just a year ago.
The Raiders have two very talented tight ends in Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Bech is essentially a tight end playing wide receiver. Having Mayer, Bowers and Bech making plays in the middle of the field while Tucker, Thornton and Shaheed blowing the top off the defense could be a winning strategy.
Since the Raiders already have two burners in Thornton and Tucker, they might not feel the need to sign Shaheed, but it would certainly make for an exciting offense.
Shaheed Projected to Get $42 Million Contract
Shaheed hasn’t put up huge receiving numbers in his career. His career high for receiving yards in a season is 719. He’s not a huge volume wide receiver.
Tucker and Shaheed had almost identical stats last season. Despite that, he’s expected to get a nice payday this offseason. Spotrac projects that his market value is a three-year, $42 million contract.
That’s a really strong payday for a player who is mostly a speedster. He’d also add some value in the return game. The Raiders might want to spend that money on a wide receiver who can take on a higher volume. That said, Kubiak knows Shaheed well, so if he thinks he’s a good fit, that’s all that matters.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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