The Las Vegas Raiders should address just about every position during the 2026 NFL free agency period. While the hope is that Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza is taken in April's draft, they'll need to support their young signal-caller before he ever steps into the building.
Part of that equation is hiring the right offensive coaches to develop him, which they've already done with Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko. Then, the Raiders will have to build a fortress of an offensive line around Mendoza, fixing a league-worst unit from last year.
But, outside of Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas doesn't exactly have a bunch of known commodities when it comes to its skill position players. Perhaps Rashid Shaheed, who has been with Kubiak at his last two stops, could be signed on the open market as a weapon for Mendoza.
Raiders could target Rashid Shaheed in FA due to Klint Kubiak connection
Shaheed spent the first three years of his career with the New Orleans Saints, and in 2024, Kubiak was his offensive coordinator. Although injury cut that campaign short, Shaheed averaged a career high in receiving yards per game under Kubiak's watch.
During the 2025 NFL season, Shaheed was traded from the Saints to the Seattle Seahawks, reuniting with Kubiak. In fact, most believe that Kubiak had something to do with the midseason acquisition. Shaheed then helped the Seahawks emerge victorious in Super Bowl LX.
Next month, however, Shaheed is set for unrestricted free agency. With Kubiak now in Las Vegas, one could theorize that Shaheed may follow him once again, or that the Raiders' new coach would be interested in hiring him. This would give Mendoza a speedy weapon on offense.
His best season as a wide receiver in terms of total production came in 2023, when he caught 46 passes for 719 yards and five touchdowns. This past year, split between the Saints and Seahawks, he caught 59 balls for 687 yards and two touchdowns.
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Now, is Shaheed a top-tier wide receiver? Certainly not. You'd have a hard time arguing that he's even in the upper-middle tier of NFL wideouts, and he's nowhere near the best player at the position set to be available on the open market. But he's electric on special teams and knows Kubiak well.
Seattle could let him walk as they try to find the funds to afford extensions for both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon. If he's not too expensive, Shaheed could get paid by the Raiders, who have tons of salary cap space, if they foresee him having an expanded role in Las Vegas.
One could also argue that the Raiders could utilize Tre Tucker's speed in the field-stretching, Shaheed-type role. Kubiak likes Shaheed for a reason, though, and something tells me that it isn't just for his prowess as a kick and punt returner.
Kubiak and John Spytek would, however, have to see eye-to-eye on the acquisition and agree on a price range. And perhaps Shaheed is fine returning to Seattle on a somewhat of a discount and this is all a moot point. But of the Seahawks' looming free agents, Shaheed certainly makes the most sense.