After parting ways with Pete Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks underwent a massive staff change. Seattle hired Mike Macdonald as their new head coach and Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator. Leslie Frazier is their new assistant head coach and they hired Aden Durde as defensive coordinator.
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, Seahawks general manager John Schneider explained that hiring new coaches delayed discussions over roster evaluations. For Seattle’s 14 pending free agents, including tight end Noah Fant, the future remains unclear.
Fant landed with the Seahawks in the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2022 season. The Broncos former first-round pick from the 2019 NFL draft shared a cryptic message on X, formerly known as Twitter, ahead of free agency.
“Patiently waiting 🙏🏾,” Fant posted.
Patiently waiting 🙏🏾
— Noah Fant (@nrfant) March 1, 2024
The Seahawks have approximately $7 million in cap space heading into the 2024 NFL season, which makes Schneider’s job difficult. With re-signing Leonard Williams and Jordyn Brooks as a priority, where does Fant land?
SI’s Corbin K. Smith predicts the 6-foot-4, 249-pound tight end will earn a two-year, $12 million contract in free agency.
Schneider said the coaches and player personnel staff will meet with agents next week. “We’ve got a cool group of guys that we want to get all of them back,” Schneider said of the pending free agents.
“You have to try to prioritize it and then work with the staff and see if it makes sense for those guys as well. Because you don’t want to be just pushing players on a staff, especially a first time out with a new staff. The previous staff, those guys, we were in a flow. They knew exactly how free agency worked. So we’re going to work with our coaches and figure that out.”
NFL Analyst Predicts the Seahawks Lose Noah Fant to the Cincinnati Bengals
While Fant put up career-low numbers in receptions (32), yards (414), and touchdowns (0) in 2023, his targets were limited. Fant had 20 fewer targets and 18 fewer catches than last season. “His snap percentage dropped from 59.9 to 54.6%,” The Athletic’s Mike Dugar pointed out. However, the pass-blocking tight end made the most of his opportunities.
𝙁𝘼𝙉𝙏ASTIC. pic.twitter.com/tBRr08BML2
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) February 20, 2024
Smith wrote, “He did significant damage with the football in his hands, finishing eighth among tight ends averaging 5.7 yards after the catch per reception with just two drops and seven receptions netting 20 or more yards.” Pro Football Focus gave Fant a 96.7 passer rating when targeted.
ESPN insider Aaron Schatz predicts Fant will sign with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. “Fant has never quite lived up to expectations as a first-rounder, but that’s more an issue of usage than efficiency,” Schatz wrote.
“Fant has put up positive DYAR in all five of his NFL seasons, and he ranked ninth among qualifying tight ends in receiving DVOA this past season. Every tight end on the Bengals’ roster is a free agent, so they’ll need to address the position in free agency and the draft. Imagine what quarterback Joe Burrow could get out of Fant’s first-round talent.”
Noah Fant Said He’d ‘Love’ to Return to Seattle
Noah Fant
GettySeahawks tight end Noah Fant at Lumen Field on December 31, 2023.
Fant, who exited Seattle’s regular-season finale early with a hand injury, spoke about his uncertain future a few days later.
“I’m open to anything,” he said, per The Athletic. “It’ll be cool to, after we’re officially done, kind of take a step back, looking at everything on a broad spectrum and seeing where things go from there. (I’m) obviously hitting free agency this year, and it’s kind of a cool thing, but I love it here. I’d love to be back, but we’ll see how things go.”
With wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njiga solidifying himself as a starter alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks tight end room is expected to look different next year. In addition to Fant, Colby Parkinson is also a pending free agent.
Seattle could also move on from tight end Will Dissly. With a $10 million cap hit in 2024, the Seahawks could save $7 million in cap space by releasing or trading Dissly.
If Dissly becomes a cap casualty, the Seahawks can afford to keep at least one veteran tight end on the roster. Seattle could also extend Dissly to lower his cap, and find a cost-effective tight end in the NFL draft.
