Source: Saints WR Rashid Shaheed (knee) will miss the remainder of the season

NEW ORLEANS – The Saints placed wide receiver/kick returner Rashid Shaheed on injured reserve Thursday after he underwent season-ending knee surgery.

Shaheed underwent surgery in Los Angeles on Thursday to assess the extent of his meniscus injury. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that doctors ultimately repaired the meniscus, which comes with a recovery plan of four to six months.

The All-Pro kick returner led the league with 15.9 yards per punt return. Last week, he returned a punt for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Shaheed's absence means the Saints will be without their top two receivers for Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos and former New Orleans coach Sean Payton. Shaheed had a team-leading 20 catches for 349 yards and three touchdowns, while Chris Olave, who is out with a concussion, was second on the team with 23 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown.

Shaheed is the third significant Saints player to be placed on injured reserve recently. Starting center Erik McCoy underwent groin surgery following his injury in Week 3 and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. Safety Will Harris (hamstring injury) was also recently placed on IR.

The Saints (2-4) were also missing a number of other players, including starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique), guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), tight end Taysom Hill (rib) and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). Linebacker Demario Davis missed the first game of his career due to an injury in Week 4.

Shaheed entered the offseason as an exclusive free agent and signed a one-year, $5.2 million extension in July that has him under contract through the 2025 season.