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Former Vikings tight end Nick Vannett has signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Minnesota Vikings were one of two teams to roster veteran tight end Nick Vannett last season.
Now, Vannett is taking his talents back to the Seattle Seahawks.
Vannett was a third-round pick by the Seahawks, and he returns nearly one decade later, following the franchise’s Super Bowl run in 2025. He will try to stick through training camp and into the 2026 regular season.
Ex-Vikings TE Nick Vannett Joins Seahawks
GettyEx-Vikings tight end Nick Vannett has signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Vannett, 33, appeared in four games for the Vikings last season. He did not draw a target or otherwise record a stat.
“The Seahawks signed Nick Vannett on Friday, bringing back the veteran tight end who spent the first three-plus seasons of his career in Seattle,” Seahawks.com’s John Boyle wrote in the official announcement on July 24.
“A third-round pick out of Ohio State in 2016, Vannett appeared in 42 games with 16 starts for the Seahawks prior to being traded to Pittsburgh early in the 2019 season. Since that trade, Vannett has spent time with the Steelers, Broncos, Saints, Giants, Chargers, Titans, Vikings and Rams, recording 108 receptions for 1,012 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.”
Vannett split the 2025 season between the Vikings and the Rams.
According to Boyle, the Seahawks cut cornerback Tyrone Broden to make room for Vannett. A 6-foot-5 former wide receiver, Broden is an intriguing prospect, but was on the PUP list.
Vannett will have to earn a spot in a tight end room that includes top options AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo, as well as backups Eric Saubert, Lance Mason, and Nick Kallerup. Mason is an undrafted free agent and more of an H-back physically.
The Vikings’ tight end room might not have Vannett anymore, but it remains strong.
Vikings TE Room Could Have Big 2026 Season
GettyT.J. Hockenson leads an intriguing group of tight ends for the Vikings.
Vannett did not have a large role in a Vikings tight end room that could be in for a big 2026 campaign, specifically for T.J. Hockenson, if Kyler Murray wins the battle with J.J. McCarthy to be the starting quarterback.
Former Arizona Cardinals teammate and tight end Trey McBride has drawn more than 145 targets and recorded 111-plus receptions in each of the past two seasons.
Murray started just five games in 2025.
He started all 17 games in 2024, though, and McBride had an 81-823-3 line in 2023, when Murray started eight games. That says more about McBride and his supporting cast than it does Murray’s preference for targeting his tight ends.
Still, it cannot be ignored that the undersized QB is so willing to find what has historically been a safety valve for quarterbacks.
In addition to Hockenson, the Vikings also have Ben Yurosek, Bryson Nesbit, Gavin Bartholomew, Josh Oliver, and former Seahawk Marshall Lang. It is a deep group, but one that will be whittled down in time for the regular season.
Hockenson is a two-time Pro Bowler. Oliver is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.
Beyond that is certainly some uncertainty, though. Yurosek is the only other TE on the current roster to catch a pass for the Vikings last year. He had a 2-14-0 line.
Depth options like Vannett come in handy during injury mitigation, a situation the Vikings are certainly hoping to avoid. Hockenson has missed at least two games in each of the past three seasons, while Oliver has missed two games in back-to-back campaigns.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter