​The Seattle Seahawks know what Rashid Shaheed can do with the ball in his hands. The tougher question as training camp approaches is how often they want to keep putting him in harm’s way on special teams. Shaheed is among the most dangerous returners in the NFL, and his midseason arrival from the New Orleans Saints gave Seattle an immediate spark in 2025. With the Seahawks hoping for more production from him as a receiver after a full offseason with quarterback Sam Darnold, his return duties have emerged as one of the team’s more intriguing camp decisions.
Ari Horton of Seahawks.com flagged Shaheed’s special-teams role as a leading training camp storyline for 2026, noting that Seattle must decide whether Shaheed can continue handling both punt and kickoff returns if his offensive workload grows. That’s a consequential call. Shaheed has shown the ability to change the trajectory of games—returning a kickoff for a touchdown in Atlanta, taking back a punt for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, and opening Seattle’s playoff win over the San Francisco 49ers with another kickoff-return TD, per Seahawks.com. He later earned his second Pro Bowl selection and signed a three-year contract to remain in Seattle.
The Seahawks aren’t trying to fix a flaw; they’re weighing how much they should lean on one of their most explosive offensive weapons in a high-contact role. The case for keeping Shaheed heavily involved in the return game is straightforward. He can flip field position, deliver scoring plays, and present Seattle with a constant weekly threat that opponents must respect.
The case for scaling back his duties is equally clear. Seattle did not trade draft capital to New Orleans and then sign Shaheed long term merely to keep him as a return specialist. The organization has signaled a desire to explore what he can become as a more integral part of the offense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba told Seahawks.com that Shaheed “came back more explosive than ever” and suggested that a full offseason and training camp with the team should push him toward “greater things this season.” Head coach Mike Macdonald also commended Shaheed’s offseason work, noting that the receiver has been with the team throughout the offseason program and has set personal records. “The timing of our plays looks like it should, given the amount of reps that are invested into it,” Macdonald said, via Seahawks.com. “I know I’m as excited as heck to see where it goes.”
That sentiment underscores the real tension. If Shaheed’s timing with Darnold has improved and Seattle envisions him as a bigger factor in the passing game, the Seahawks must decide whether every additional return opportunity is worth the extra exposure to injury and wear. There may not be a clean all-or-nothing answer. Seattle could still deploy Shaheed in high-leverage moments, late-game scenarios, or playoff-type matchups while granting other players more regular-season return duties. The organization’s ultimate plan likely involves a balanced approach: keeping Shaheed available as a dynamic playmaker on special teams when the matchup calls for it, while gradually expanding his role on offense and preserving his long-term health for the season’s most critical moments. If the Seahawks find that perfect equilibrium, Shaheed’s impact could be magnified across the field, aligning special-teams gravity with an increasingly potent passing attack.