{"id":225681,"date":"2025-07-21T23:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T23:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/225681\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T23:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T23:05:10","slug":"espns-fowler-not-surprised-seattle-seahawks-released-fant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/225681\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN’s Fowler not surprised Seattle Seahawks released Fant"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seattle Seahawks have moved on from Noah Fant<\/a>, releasing the veteran tight end on Sunday after three underwhelming seasons in the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

A closer look at what Noah Fant\u2019s release means for Seahawks<\/a><\/p>\n

Fant, who came to Seattle as part of the 2022 Russell Wilson trade, arrived with high expectations after back-to-back 600-yard seasons with the Denver Broncos. But he never matched that type of production with the Seahawks, which ultimately made him a salary cap casualty.<\/p>\n

Fant had one year remaining on his two-year, $21 million deal. He was set to carry a $13.41 million salary cap hit this season, which would have been the eighth-highest of any NFL tight end, according to OvertheCap.com<\/a>. He never finished higher than 18th among tight ends in receiving yardage during his time in Seattle.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0ESPN senior NFL insider Jeremy Fowler<\/a>, Fant\u2019s release was no surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually wasn\u2019t at all surprised,\u201d Fowler told Seattle Sports\u2019 Bump and Stacy on Monday. \u201c\u2026 I was hearing whispers even around free agency (in March) that they could move him, or that he might even want to be moved, because they weren\u2019t going to do a new contract.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Seahawks then drafted Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo in the second round of April\u2019s NFL Draft, which further prompted speculation that Fant\u2019s days in Seattle could be numbered.<\/p>\n

The Seahawks already had one promising young tight end in 2024 fourth-round pick AJ Barner, who was coming off a productive four-touchdown rookie campaign. And in Arroyo, they got another one. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound Miami product is a potential big-time receiving weapon<\/a> who has a rare level of speed and athleticism for his size, which he showcased last fall while leading all FBS tight ends with 16.9 yards per catch.<\/p>\n

Huard: 3 reasons why Seahawks released TE Noah Fant<\/a><\/p>\n

Seattle\u2019s tight end room also has some quality depth with veteran run-blocking specialist Eric Saubert and 6-foot-5, 266-pound undrafted rookie Nick Kallerup, who was graded by Pro Football Focus as the second-best run-blocking tight end in the FBS last fall. In addition, while Robbie Ouzts and Brady Russell are competing for the Seahawks\u2019 fullback job, both are traditionally tight ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they drafted Arroyo, (releasing Fant) just made sense, because they really liked AJ Barner,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cThey felt like they had good depth there, and they like to go young when they have a chance to do so. So it only made sense to me. When I saw that, I wasn\u2019t surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the full conversation with ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler at this link<\/a> or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks news and analysis<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Seattle Seahawks sign 2 players, waive another ahead of camp<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Why Seahawks LT Charles Cross could wait until 2026 to sign extension<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Seattle Seahawks release veteran TE Noah Fant ahead of camp<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Walters: Seattle Seahawks\u2019 new offense forces D to \u2018think twice\u2019<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Barnwell: Seattle Seahawks need to keep Sam Darnold \u2018consistent\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow @CameronVanTil<\/a><\/p>\n

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