Seahawks injuries for showdown: Early signs ‘well’ for concussed Rashid Shaheed

Could the Seahawks have a key player back in less than a week following a concussion to play in their biggest game?

It’s way too early to tell. As it should be.

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle’s Pro Bowl kick and punt returner and offset at wide receiver to NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba, appeared Monday to be off to a good start recovering from a concussion. Shaheed got concussed Sunday when Carolina cornerback Mike Jackson tossed him beyond the sideline boundary into the Panthers’ bench area following a catch in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Seems like it’s going well with Rashid,” coach Mike Macdonald said back at team headquarters in Renton Monday afternoon, five days before the Seahawks (13-3) play the NFC West title game at San Francisco (12-4) Saturday night.

Shaheed and Seattle’s medical staff have a ways to go to determine if he can play in that showdown.

He’s a big asset the Seahawks didn’t have in their first meeting with San Francisco, the 49ers’ 17-13 win at Seattle way back in week one. The Seahawks traded for Shaheed in early November, sending two third-day draft choices to New Orleans for the Saints’ 2023 All-Pro.

That move has paid off. The Seahawks would not have beaten the Los Angeles Rams to have the inside track to the division title and top playoff seed without Shaheed’s punt-return touchdown against L.A. Dec. 18. That sparked Seattle’s comeback from 16 points down with 10 minutes left in regulation to the 38-37 win in overtime.

He also had a 31-yard run on an end around late in regulation of that game. Plus, Shaheed is beginning to establish a rapport with quarterback Sam Darnold on timing of passes. That gives the offense another threat to take some of defenses’ attention off the prolific Smith-Njiba, a 1,700-yard receiver through 16 games.

The NFL concussion protocol set in 2011 by the league’s head, neck and spine committee and refined in 2018 is a five-step process for returning to play from a concussion. It uses the player’s baseline cognitive testing from the preseason to compare to his current condition. The process begins on game day on the field and then to the sideline following a player getting a hit to his head.

The first phase includes rest and activities such as stretching and balancing limited by any increase or aggravation of concussion symptoms. The second phase involves team medical personnel introducing gradual cardiovascular exercise. Phase three is monitored football exercise with the team for 30 minutes or less. The fourth phase is team-based, non-contact drills. Neurocognitive and balance drills in this phase need to show a return to baseline testing before he advances to phase five, clearance by doctors to return to play.

Each brain, each player, each case is different. Yet studies have shown the typical NFL player returns to play about nine days following a concussion.

The Seahawks play the 49ers for the top seed in the NFC playoffs six days after Shaheed’s concussion.

How Rashid Shaheed got hurt

Days after he became a Pro Bowl selection for the second time in his four-year NFL career, Shaheed got hurt after catching a pass outside from Darnold for an 8-yard gain inside the final minute of the first quarter during Seattle’s 27-10 win at Carolina Sunday.

Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson, a former Seahawks starter, grabbed Shaheed a couple steps inside the sideline boundary. Jackson continued contacting Shaheed through the sideline past halfway through the thick, white-painted area that borders the field’s perimeter. Jackson then spun Shaheed to the ground well past the end of the white border into Panthers personnel in the bench area. Shaheed’s head hit the turf there, as Jackson pushed down on Shaheed.

Here's #Panthers CB Mike Jackson playing as dirty as that POS @jayceehorn_ slamming Rashid Shaheed to the ground after he's 2 yds out of bounds.

Looks like a one game suspension to me @nfl. pic.twitter.com/Cftx4jEW1R

— Setting The Edge (@SettingTheEdge) December 28, 2025

The Seahawks wanted a penalty for Jackson unnecessarily continuing to swing Shaheed to the ground beyond the sideline. Officials did not call one on the play.

WR/Pro Bowl kick returner Rashid Shaheed going into #Seahawks locker room during play early 2Q at Carolina.

He’s being evaluated for a possible concussion. Former Seattle CB Mike Jackson threw him well out of bounds following a catch late 1Q.

Team says questionable to return pic.twitter.com/ABn84z3VBL

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 28, 2025

What did Macdonald think of the play and how Shaheed got hurt?

“I’ll just say, there are some plays throughout the game that we are going to follow up with (the league headquarters on),” Seattle’s coach said Monday. “But that’s par for the course.

“Just trying to understand what’s getting called, what’s not, why.

“And, obviously, we want to defend our guys and make sure that they’re not put in harm’s way here.” The Seahawks and all NFL teams send plays to the league office following most games, to get interpretations on officials’ rulings. At times the league admits errors in their replies to team’s queries, though those replies are meant to be private between the NFL and their teams.

Seattle was already down wide receiver and kick returner Tory Horton. The rookie fifth-round draft choice injured his shin during the first days of November, around the time the Seahawks traded for Shaheed. Horton remains on injured reserve, out indefinitely.

Jake Bobo was active Sunday at Carolina to be a reserve wide receiver. Practice-squad running back Cam Akers jumped into some of Shaheed’s kick-return roles after the concussion.

Charles Cross, Coby Bryant statuses

Seattle had two other starters miss the Carolina game.

Left tackle Charles Cross missed his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury he got on Jason Myers’ final-play field goal that beat Indianapolis Dec. 14. Veteran swing reserve Josh Jones again started for Cross at Carolina, and again impressed coaches with his play.

Safety Coby Bryant missed the Panthers game with a knee injury he got in the win over the Rams 10 days earlier. Ty Okada excelled in his place in Carolina.

Macdonald did not have anything new on Cross’ and Bryant’s status for the game at San Francisco Saturday.

“Right now, honestly, we just don’t have any update on time frames or anything like that,” the coach said. “So we’re really going to be playing that throughout the week.”

Jones was the lead blocker outside on many of Zach Charbonnet’s longest gains on the running back’s second 100-yard rushing day of his three-year career Sunday at Carolina.

“Josh has done a great job,” Macdonald said. “I’m really excited to see how he’s played, stepped in and been ready to play. And he’s played hard, played assignment-sound, played our style of ball. Really happy for him.”