The Seattle Seahawks released veteran tight end Noah Fant on Sunday, just days prior to the start of training camp. What does it mean for the Seahawks, their tight end room and their salary cap situation? Here’s a closer look.
The Fant experiment is over
When Fant arrived in Seattle as part of the blockbuster 2022 Russell Wilson trade, the hope was that he could break the Seahawks’ tight end curse.
A 2019 first-round draft pick, Fant had showcased an impressive combination of size, speed and athleticism with the Denver Broncos, totaling 1,905 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches over his first three NFL seasons. That included back-to-back 600-yard campaigns, which placed him sixth among NFL tight ends in receiving yardage in 2020 and 10th in 2021. For context, there have been just three 600-yard seasons by a tight end in the Seahawks’ entire franchise history.
But in Seattle, the 6-foot-4, 249-pound Fant was never able to replicate that production. Over his three seasons with the Seahawks, he totaled just 1,400 receiving yards and five TDs. He never finished with more than 500 yards or higher than 18th on the league’s receiving yardage leaderboard. And most notably, he had a 32-game TD drought that spanned from late 2022 until the 2024 regular-season finale. He also left plenty to be desired as a blocker, ranking 67th out of 74 tight ends in Pro Football Focus run block grading last season.
The argument for keeping Fant was that perhaps new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak could unlock his talent in ways previous Seattle OCs Shane Waldron and Ryan Grubb weren’t able to. After all, tight ends are a focal point of Kubiak’s Shanahan-style offense. When Kubiak was the OC in New Orleans last year, his Saints used multi-tight-end sets at one of the highest rates in the league.
But ultimately, Fant’s production never lived up to his salary in Seattle. Entering the final year of a two-year, $21 million deal, Fant was set to carry a $13.41 million salary cap hit this season, according to OvertheCap.com. That would have been the second-highest cap hit of any Seahawks player and the eighth-highest of any NFL tight end. So, with two promising young tight ends in rookie second-round pick Elijah Arroyo and second-year pro AJ Barner, Seattle decided it was better to cut ties and move on.
A vote of confidence for the young guys
By parting ways with Fant, the Seahawks showed just how highly they think of Arroyo and Barner. And for good reason.
The 6-foot-5, 254-pound Arroyo – who profiles similarly to Fant as a field-stretching tight end – possesses a rare level of speed and athleticism for his size. That was on full display last season at the University of Miami, where he totaled 35 catches for 590 yards and seven TDs, while leading all FBS tight ends with 16.9 yards per reception. If not for a knee injury that disrupted most of his 2022 and 2023 seasons, he might have been a first-round pick.
Related: Why TE Elijah Arroyo is Seahawks’ ‘most intriguing’ rookie
Arroyo also showed intriguing positional flexibility at Miami, lining up as a slot receiver for 39.5% of his snaps last season and as an outside receiver for 5.7% of his snaps, according to PFF. As a receiving tight end, the big question for Arroyo centers around his blocking. But he graded pretty well in that area last year, ranking 72nd out of 437 FBS tight ends in PFF run block grading.
Barner, meanwhile, is coming off a promising rookie campaign. A 2024 fourth-round pick out of Michigan, the 6-foot-6, 251-pound Barner made an immediate impact with 30 catches for 245 yards and four TDs last season. He ranked fourth among rookie tight ends in receiving yardage and second in TD catches, finishing just one behind Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers. Barner also was a reliable blocker, ranking 36th out of 74 tight ends in PFF run block grading.
With Fant gone, the runway is clear for Arroyo and Barner to fully showcase their talents.
Good news for TEs on the roster bubble
Fant’s release provides a major boost to the roster hopes of Seattle’s other tight ends – specifically veteran Eric Saubert, undrafted rookie Nick Kallerup and whoever doesn’t win the fullback competition between rookie fifth-round pick Robbie Ouzts and third-year pro Brady Russell.
Given how often Kubiak uses multi-tight-end sets, the Seahawks seem likely to keep four tight ends on their 53-man roster. If Fant had remained, that may have left Saubert, Kallerup and Ouzts/Russell batting for that fourth and final spot. Now, there may be two open spots.
Saubert, an eight-year veteran blocking tight end, figures to have the inside track to one of those spots. He spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers, ranking 19th out of 74 tight ends in PFF run block grading. He also could benefit from his familiarity with Kubiak, having spent the 2022 season in Denver when Kubiak was on the Broncos’ coaching staff.
Kallerup, meanwhile, is one of Seattle’s most intriguing undrafted rookies. A University of Minnesota product with an imposing 6-foot-5, 266-pound frame, he ranked second in PFF run block grading last season among all FBS tight ends.
And with Ouzts and Russell expected to battle for the Seahawks’ new fullback role, Fant’s release creates an avenue to potentially keep both players – since both are tight ends who are in the process of converting to fullback. Ouzts is unusually agile for his 6-foot-3, 274-pound frame and Russell has logged more special teams snaps than any other Seahawks player over the past two seasons, so Seattle would probably like to keep both players if possible.
What will extra cap space be used for?
By releasing Fant, the Seahawks cleared $8.91 million in salary cap space for 2025. They now have roughly $34.92 million in cap space, which is sixth-most in the NFL, according to OTC.
Related: Which Seahawks from 2022 draft class will receive extensions?
Seattle could use the extra wiggle room to extend players from its talented 2022 draft class, which has produced a half-dozen starters in left tackle Charles Cross, right tackle Abraham Lucas, running back Kenneth Walker III, outside linebacker Boye Mafe, safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen. With one year left on their rookie contracts, that group is now eligible for extensions.
The Seahawks also might have more flexibility now to accentuate their roster with a free-agent signing prior to the season, if that’s a path they want to take.
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