It was a hefty price the Seahawks paid to keep the ace special teamer and receiver, but did they pay too much?
One thing the Seattle Seahawks knew as they entered free agency as Super Bowl champions was that the price of their players had never been higher.
With several stars out of contract, the Seahawks' plan of attack was to try to keep as many free agents as possible. But without overpaying for any player.
Kenneth Walker, Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen all left with hefty price tags, as the Seahawks saw the quartet walk out the door.
But not everyone left.
Ace special teamer and receiver Rashid Shaheed, a trade mid-season last year, was one of the first players to re-sign with the franchise.
A three-year, $51 million deal was agreed to.
And that price tag made some people question if it was worth keeping Shaheed, a player who only had 188 receiving yards and no touchdowns.
But Shaheed's value wasn't just on offense; it was on special teams as well, as he had three touchdown returns since moving to Seattle.
And for those thinking Seattle overpaid to retain Shaheed, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay says that's an overreaction.
"While there's been gripes that the Seahawks drastically overpaid for a special teamer, there's a great chance that Shaheed winds up providing fantastic return on investment," Kay wrote.
“Even if Shaheed only chips in 500 receiving yards and a couple touchdowns on offense each season, he'll still be worth every penny if he continues to tilt the field in Seattle's favor with his unique special teams contributions.”
The big thing to consider here is the fear factor Shaheed brings to special teams.
In the same manner that Dallas Cowboys' All-Pro returner KaVontae Turpin does. Teams don't want to give them a chance to return the ball, either via a kickoff or a punt.
Why? Because on any given kick, they can hit their heads on the goal post, or flip field position in an instant, helping you win games in the process.
So yes, Shaheed's $51 million deal could be seen as pricey, but what he does on both offense and special teams, Seattle clearly felt he was worth it.