The Seattle Seahawks made a surprise move before the start of training camp, parting ways with a big piece of their offense in a move that freed up salary cap space.
The Seahawks announced on July 20 that they released tight end Noah Fant, a former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos who came to the Seahawks as part of the Russel Wilson trade. The move came just a year after the Seahawks had signed Fant to a two-year, $21 million extension.
Seahawks Free Up Cap Space After Releasing Veteran Tight End
As Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports reported, the Seahawks cleared Fant’s $8.5 million salary off their books with the move and now will have more space for potential additions. Fant was also owed a $510,000 per-game roster bonus for this season, which clears a total of $9 million for the Seahawks.
Fant had been a steady presence for the Seahawks, topping 400 yards in each of his three seasons with the Seahawks. He was the fourth-leading receiver in 2024, making 48 receptions for 500 yards with one touchdown.
As the team noted in its release, Fant’s release will open up more opportunities for other tight ends on the roster.
“In addition to freeing up salary cap space, Fant’s release will also mean more opportunities for second-year tight end AJ Barner, rookie Elijah Arroyo and veteran free-agent addition Eric Saubert,” the report noted. “The Seahawks also have a pair of undrafted rookie tight ends on the roster, Marshall Lang and Nick Kallerup.”
The Seahawks will have a new look on offense, moving on from quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and signing new quarterback Sam Darnold.
Seahawks Rookie Could Step Up
Arroyo could stand to benefit the most from Fant’s surprise release. As Dajani noted, the second-round pick came to the Seahawks after making 35 receptions for 590 yards and seven touchdowns with Miami.
Arroyo just finalized his contract, part of a backlog of second-round draft picks who signed within the last week.
Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider said the team sees big potential in Arroyo, whose draft stock took a hit due to his history with injuries.
“You have to be real about it, he has missed time,” Schneider said after Arroyo was drafted. “If he hasn’t missed time, the talent is like a Top 15 pick, so this guy’s special.”
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald added Arroyo can be used like a wide receiver, hinting that he could move along the line or split out wide.
“This guy can run an extensive route tree,” Macdonald said. “To have to account for a tight end body on the field and him also to be able to split out wide, do X receiver type of things, bigger body that we probably have right now on our roster, just provides a ton of value. Then he’s going to throw it in there as the actual tight end in-line and be able to create some of those bigger personnel formations is the vision that we have for him. Really exciting.”
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