Rashid Shaheed was a bright spot for the New Orleans Saints during their dismal 9-8 2023 campaign. The athletic receiver and returner established himself as a crucial building element for New Orleans and earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. After his great season, Shaheed is set to become a free agent.
However, he will not be the type of free agent that is commonly discussed during the summer. The NFL has four sorts of free agents: unrestricted free agents (UFA), restricted free agents (RFA), exclusive rights free agents (ERFA), and undrafted free agents (UDFA).
Typically, when people talk about free agents, they mean unrestrained ones. Rashid Shaheed, on the other hand, is an exclusive rights-free agent. What precisely does this mean?
What is the definition of an exclusive rights free agent?
An exclusive rights free agent is a player whose contract has expired after fewer than three seasons. A player must be on a roster for at least six games to accumulate a season. Unlike UFAs, teams retain the ability to exclusive rights free agents.
Teams can give ERFAs one-year contracts for the league minimum. If a team offers an ERFA a contract, the player must accept it or he will be unable to compete in the league that season. The team could, however, let the player depart and sign with any team they wanted.
So, in terms of Rashid Shaheed’s free agency, the New Orleans Saints will eventually determine whether or not to keep him on the team. Giving Shaheed a qualifying offer sounds like a no-brainer.
In only his second season in the league, Shaheed caught 46 catches for 719 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 339 punt return yards, one touchdown, and 384 kick return yards. He’s an excellent returner and has emerged as New Orleans’ No. 2 receiver. The Saints should keep him around.
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