Seahawks release Noah Fant, empower young TE group

The Seattle Seahawks addressed a long-awaited personnel question on Sunday by releasing veteran tight end Noah Fant before he played the final year of his contract. Fant was making more money than he seemingly deserved based on his lack of production, and the team has now moved on.

Fant, the No. 20 overall pick in 2019, played three seasons in Seattle after originally landing with the team as part of the 2022 Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos. While he was good, Fant never quite lived up to his draft position despite continuing to be paid like a near-premium tight end.

Why release him?

We don't know if the Seahawks were trying to find a trade partner to offload Fant, but that seems likely considering he will almost surely have suitors. The hitch in a trade would likely have been his hefty salary, as Fant was scheduled to make just under $8.5 million in unguaranteed salary. His total cap hit in 2025 was $13.41 million, per Over The Cap, and his release saved nearly $9 million while incurring a $4.5 million dead cap hit against the Seahawks' books.

At the time of his release, Fant was the 12th highest-paid tight end in the NFL on an annual-per-year basis ($10.5 million APY). He had his best season in a Seahawks uniform in 2024 (48 catches, 500 receiving yards, one touchdown), but even that production was only enough for him to finish 18th among tight ends across the league. When coupled with the fact that Fant isn't known to be a premier blocker, it's easy to see where his usage wasn't matching his salary.

Assuming he isn't brought back on a lesser deal, Fant finished his Seahawks career with 130 catches for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns.