Seahawks release tight end Noah Fant

SEATTLE — In a move that seemed preordained from the moment the Seahawks drafted Elijah Arroyo in the second round last April, the Seahawks on Sunday released veteran tight end Noah Fant.

Fant, 27, had one year remaining on a two-year contract worth up to $21 million he signed in March 2024.

The deal included a nonguaranteed salary for the 2025 season of $8.49 million. Seattle now saves all of that as well as $8.91 million in cap space. Fant had been set to have the second-highest cap hit on the team in 2025 at $13.41 million behind only the $15.04 million of defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

No corresponding move was announced, so for now Seattle has one open spot on its roster.

The Seahawks have a few times later re-signed players they had released, doing so on smaller salaries, such as defensive end Carlos Dunlap in 2022. But it was not immediately clear if that might be an option with Fant.

Fant, acquired from Denver in 2022 in the Russell Wilson trade, spent the offseason program typically working with the starting unit at tight end.

But his salary and the potential cap savings involved had led many to speculate that he could be in danger of being released, especially after Seattle drafted Arroyo at 50th overall out of Miami.

The move comes with Seahawks veterans set to report Tuesday and the first practice of training camp scheduled for Wednesday.

Seattle likely explored trade options for Fant. But his salary and other teams knowing he was a candidate to be released probably made such talks a nonstarter. Releasing Fant now allows him to get with another team as training camps open.

Fant started 42 games for the Seahawks over the past three seasons with 130 catches for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns. He had 48 receptions for 500 yards and one touchdown in 14 games last season, missing three games at midseason due to a groin injury.

The release of Fant leaves Seattle with five tight ends on its roster — Arroyo, second-year player AJ Barner, veteran free agent signee Eric Saubert and undrafted rookie free agents Marshall Lang and Nick Kallerup.

Seattle also has two players who have played primarily tight end in their careers listed on the roster at fullback — Brady Russell and fifth-round pick Robbie Ouzts.

Releasing Fant could allow Seattle to keep both on the roster as well as three tight ends as the Seahawks look to go with more of a run-oriented attack under first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who replaced the fired Ryan Grubb.

The Seahawks entered the day with $26.68 million in cap space and the release of Fant should give them just over $35 million.

That would be more than all but five other teams in the NFL as of Sunday and would give the Seahawks flexibility to make other moves as training camps begin and teams cut or try to trade players.

Seattle, though, might also use some of that space on contract extensions to secure some of its own players.

Left tackle Charles Cross could get a new contract to replace his current one, which calls for a guaranteed $17.56 million salary and cap hit in 2026. An extension would give Cross some long-term security and immediate money while also bringing down the cap number. Safety Coby Bryant, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract which features a nonguaranteed salary of just over $3.4 million for this season, is another who has been mentioned as possibly getting an extension.

Fant was drafted by Denver in 2019 with the 20th overall pick out of Iowa and was considered by the Seahawks as a key part of the eight-player package (three veterans, five draft picks) Seattle got back from the Broncos for Wilson.

The Seahawks almost immediately after the trade picked up an option on Fant’s contract to secure him for the 2023 season, further signifying the team’s optimism he could play a key role in the offense for years.

But Fant’s production never seemed to quite match the expectations.

Fant had a career-high 68 receptions for 670 yards and four touchdowns in his final year in Denver in 2022.

But he never had more than 50 receptions in three seasons in Seattle (that coming in 2022) or 500 yards (in 2024).

Fant re-signed in 2024 after the Seahawks cut veteran Will Dissly and then saw Colby Parkinson signed as a free agent with the Rams (Dissly signed with the Chargers).

But now Fant, Dissly and Parkinson are all gone.

Seattle drafted Barner in the fourth round in 2024 and he saw increased playing time as the season wore on, playing 501 snaps, not far off the 569 of Fant. Pharaoh Brown was the team’s third tight end last season, playing 264 snaps, but was not re-signed after the season and is now with Miami.

Barner now figures to become the starting tight end, unless Seattle makes a move to add another veteran, backed up by Arroyo and Saubert. Arroyo on Friday signed his four-year rookie contract that will pay him up to $8.81 million with $6.87 million guaranteed.

Seattle also signed the 31-year-old Saubert to a one-year deal worth up to $1.255 million and he projects as a third tight end who would fill more of a blocking role. Saubert played 275 snaps lining up either in-line (262) or in the backfield last season with the 49ers compared to 102 either in the slot or out wide, according to Pro Football Focus.

Russell played just 33 snaps at tight end last season and in the offseason was moved to fullback, a position that Kubiak plans to again use regularly after the Seahawks had no one listed at fullback in 2024 under Grubb. Ouzts also played primarily tight end at Alabama and is now being used as a fullback by the Seahawks.

Both Russell and Ouzts project to have significant special teams roles if they make the roster as does Saubert.

Seattle will take a $4.5 million dead cap hit releasing Fant, which means money that has already been paid to the player. Fant got a $9 million signing bonus last March that was spread over both the 2024 and 2025 seasons for cap purposes.

That gives Seattle $71.95 million in dead cap for the 2025 season, fourth most in the NFL behind the 49ers ($93.59 million), Saints ($82.66 million) and Eagles ($76.92 million).

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