Saints agree to extension with First Team All-Pro player

Jan 2, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; The New Orleans Saints logo on the field before their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints are extending a player who could be especially critical for them next season.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Saturday that the Saints have agreed to a contract extension with wide receiver and kick returner Rashid Shaheed. The 25-year-old Shaheed is getting a new one-year, $5.2 million extension.

Shaheed was electric last season for New Orleans, making a Pro Bowl team as well as earning First Team All-Pro honors with his versatility. He logged 723 total return yards (on both kick returns and punt returns), 719 total receiving yards, and six total touchdowns (five receiving and one return).

Because Shaheed only has two seasons of accrued service thus far, he was an exclusive rights free agent (meaning that the Saints were only required to tender him a minimum salary of $985,000 in order to keep him). But New Orleans is giving Shaheed a significant reward beyond that. That reflects Shaheed’s increased value to them now that Michael Thomas has been released and especially now that the NFL will have new kickoff rules beginning in 2024.