mannc Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago Anyone who's watched the Saints recently (including on MNF last night) has noticed WR Rashid Shaheed, who has emerged as one of the top deep-ball threats in the NFL. He's got unbelievable top-end speed, plenty of wiggle, excellent hands and is great at tracking the ball. In short, he is a nightmare for safeties and a guy that defense ignores at their peril. It hardly needs to be said that he's exactly the kind of receiver the Bills could use to open up their passing game. So how did the Saints land this game-breaker? Well, he was an undrafted free agent from Weber St. (1-AA school that is the alma mater of Taron Johnson and Damian Lillard), where he tied the NCAA record for most career kickoff returns for touchdown (10, I think). He played WR at Weber St and was productive but not amazing. He was probably on track to be a 5th or 6th round pick, but then he blew out his ACL near the end of his senior year...No NFL combine, no 40-yard dash, and no selection in the 2022 draft. But the Saints had been watching him closely and offered him a guarantee equal to what a fifth round pick would have received. But it wasn't all smooth sailing after that. At 2022 training camp, Shaheed was cut and then signed to the Saint's practice squad, then called up mid-season. His first two touches in a real NFL game resulted in (1) a 44-yard rushing TD on a jet sweep, and (2) a 53-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton. While he has not been the main focal point of the Saints' offense, he's been a guy who draws a lot of attention and creates a lot of space for others. He made the pro bowl last year and now seems poised to become a star in the league. Thanks for reading. Not Bills-related, but I just think Shaheed is an interesting story and it shows that there are all sorts of different paths to NFL stardom, and all sorts of ways that teams come up with difference-making players. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago Your thread title asks where he came from. Here’s my answer: WR Rashid Shaheed, who has emerged as one of the top deep-ball threats in the NFL. He's got unbelievable top-end speed, plenty of wiggle, excellent hands and is great at tracking the ball. In short, he is a nightmare for safeties and a guy that defense ignores at their peril. It hardly needs to be said that he's exactly the kind of receiver the Bills could use to open up their passing game. So how did the Saints land this game-breaker? Well, he was an undrafted free agent from Weber St. (1-AA school that is the alma mater of Taron Johnson and Damian Lillard), where he tied the NCAA record for most career kickoff returns for touchdown (10, I think). He played WR at Weber St and was productive but not amazing. He was probably on track to be a 5th or 6th round pick, but then he blew out his ACL near the end of his senior year...No NFL combine, no 40-yard dash, and no selection in the 2022 draft. But the Saints had been watching him closely and offered him a guarantee equal to what a fifth round pick would have received. But it wasn't all smooth sailing after that. At 2022 training camp, Shaheed was cut and then signed to the Saint's practice squad, then called up mid-season. His first two touches in a real NFL gameresulted in (1) a 44-yard rushing TD on a jet sweep, and (2) a 53-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton. While he has not been the main focal point of the Saints' offense, he's been a guy who draws a lot of attention and creates a lot of space for others. He made the pro bowl last year and now seems poised to become a star in the league. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago Sometimes teams get lucky with guys like that. Look at the Giants and Victor Cruz. If he keeps it up, it will be interesting to see what he gets next year since he will have 3 years in the NFL and want to get paid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPL Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago Is this secretly a Tyrell Shavers thread? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago 2 minutes ago, MPL said: Is this secretly a Tyrell Shavers thread? Haha. my exact same thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannc Posted 1 hour ago Author Share Posted 1 hour ago 4 minutes ago, Doc said: Sometimes teams get lucky with guys like that. Look at the Giants and Victor Cruz. If he keeps it up, it will be interesting to see what he gets next year since he will have 3 years in the NFL and want to get paid. They gave him a raise to $5.2 million for this season. The extensions work differently for guys who were UDFA… 4 minutes ago, MPL said: Is this secretly a Tyrell Shavers thread? I wish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffblue Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago (edited) He's got quite a ways to go to become a top tier, number one caliber NFL receiver. But I think it's telling that he's basically drawing as many targets as Olave. Dude is definitely on the upswing and is extremely dangerous even if his current level ends up being close to his ceiling. Edited 1 hour ago by buffblue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einstein Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago That nightmare is on pace for 60-some receptions this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billl Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago 9 minutes ago, Einstein said: That nightmare is on pace for 60-some receptions this year. With 1100 yards and 11 TDs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Smith Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago He cost me a $300 bet this past week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago 8 minutes ago, mannc said: They gave him a raise to $5.2 million for this season. The extensions work differently for guys who were UDFA… He made ~$1.2M total his first 2 seasons (2022 and 2023). He got a contract extension prior to this season that pays him an additional $1M in money this year and a $4.2M base salary next year with no real guaranteed money. If he has a monster season, that can be renegotiated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannc Posted 1 hour ago Author Share Posted 1 hour ago 11 minutes ago, Billl said: With 1100 yards and 11 TDs. Not bad for a WR2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maynard Posted 50 minutes ago Share Posted 50 minutes ago I believe he was born in Iran, but grew up in Poland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Joe Posted 36 minutes ago Share Posted 36 minutes ago 57 minutes ago, mannc said: Not bad for a WR2 I would take it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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