Saints WR Rashid Shaheed feels 100% heading into the new season

TribeNews
4 Min Read

Since signing a UDFA deal with the New Orleans Saints in 2022, Rashid Shaheed has become a massive part of the Saints’ offense. He put up 488 receiving yards as a rookie before hitting 719 in his second season. Heading into year three, it felt like Shaheed was a candidate to possibly hit the 1,000-yard mark with Derek Carr under center, but a meniscus tear ended his season prematurely.

Shaheed played just six games in 2024, recording 20 catches for 349 yards. He was on pace for 988 yards, but unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to finish the year.

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After Saints training camp on Friday, Shaheed spoke to the media, and said he feels 100% heading into the season.

“I feel great. I feel 100%,” said Shaheed. “Since OTAs, I feel like I’ve had a long offseason, but I feel like I worked hard to get to this point. I’m healthy and I’m ready to go.”

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Shaheed knew his season was over since he got the news of his injury, so he took his time recovering. He didn’t push too hard, knowing he had a long offseason ahead of him, so he used the time to slowly but surely build back his strength and add some weight.

“My timetable was a little longer than normal just because I knew I had time to gain strength and get my speed back…I gained some weight over the offseason, I knew that would be a big part of the offseason, just getting my body back in shape.”

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Shaheed, who played the 2024 season at 180 pounds, has added another 10 pounds this offseason. Typically, adding weight comes with a loss of speed, which is arguably his biggest strength, but he feels like he’s moving just as well at 190 as he was at 180.

“[I hope to play at] around 190, which is far from what I ever thought I’d be playing at, but I feel good. Feel like I’m moving great at this weight.”

When asked why he wanted to put on the extra weight, Shaheed explained it was all about longevity. He wants to play in this league for a long time, and he feels the extra weight will make him much more durable.

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“It’s all about longevity and I feel like that weight is important.”

2025 is a contract year for Shaheed, who signed a one-year, $5.2 million extension to stay with the team through this year. If he can stay healthy and produce like we, and the coaching staff, know he can, he could be in for a pretty big payday next offseason. With Olave also looking to secure a long-term deal before the start of 2026, the Saints might have to shell out a lot of money to retain their top two targets.

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