This is really cool: two members of the New Orleans Saints were selected for this year’s All-Pro teams by the Associated Press, with punt returner Rashid Shaheed named to the first team and linebacker Demario Davis picked for the second team.
Shaheed finished the year with the third-most punt return yards (339), having averaged 13.6 yards per return on 25 attempts. He led the NFL in all-purpose yards (1,479) thanks to his 384 kick return yards and 756 yards from scrimmage, 719 as a receiver and 37 as a rusher.
It’s the fifth year in a row that Davis has earned All-Pro recognition on either the first or second team; by earning a spot on the second team this year, Davis triggered a $500,000 bonus in his Saints contract. He’s continuing to play well late into his career, having celebrated his 35th birthday on Thursday.
A handful of other Saints players earned votes for the All-Pro list, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell: cornerback Paulson Adebo, special teams ace J.T. Gray, and long snapper Zach Wood; and Shaheed got votes for his work as a kick returner, too. Hopefully they can all build off their successful individual seasons and get New Orleans back to the playoffs this time next year.
