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Noah Fant

Bengals To Sign TE Noah Fant

July 31st, 2025 at 10:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bengals are expected to sign veteran tight end Noah Fant, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bengals released undrafted rookie Kole Taylor in a corresponding move, per Schefter.

Fant was released by the Seahawks on July 20 and quickly lined up a visit with the Bengals. Fant left Cincinnati without a deal and met with the Saints and the Dolphins but quickly circled back to the opportunity to catch passes from Joe Burrow.

Fant will now join a Bengals tight end room led by Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample. The former first-round pick will likely be an upgrade over 31-year-old Tanner Hudson, who has been a reliable, inexpensive third tight end in Cincinnati with 58 catches for 506 yards over the last two years. Fant nearly hit those numbers last year alone with a total of 1,400 yards over his last three years in Seattle and a career average of 550 yards per season.

The six-year veteran also brings some versatility to the tight end position that the Bengals currently lack. Sample is largely an inline blocker while Gesicki played almost all of his snaps last year in the slot or out wide. Fant can do all three, which will give head coach Zac Taylor plenty of ways to get him on the field.

The Bengals will be Fant’s third team after he was drafted by the Broncos in 2019 and sent to the Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022. Fant then became the first Seahawk to see his fifth-year option picked up, which the team did upon acquiring him in 2022. The Seahawks still leaned mostly on D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett during Fant’s first two years with the team, but they still re-signed him to a two-year, $21MM deal in 2024. Seattle then drafted Elijah Arroyo in this year’s second round; the team will lean on the Miami product after releasing Fant just before training camp.

The former No. 20 pick may not be an elite receiving threat, having never eclipsed 700 yards in a season, but he has been consistent; Fant’s 3,305 career receiving yards are the 10th-most among tight ends since he entered the NFL. After featuring mostly low-octane tight end contributors following Tyler Eifert‘s slew of injuries, Cincinnati has added two receiving threats over the past two offseasons. The team re-signed Gesicki (three years, $25.5MM) in March and will pair him with an intriguing late-summer addition.

Dolphins To Host TE Noah Fant

July 28th, 2025 at 10:18am CST by Adam La Rose

Noah Fant‘s free agent tour will include a third visit. The veteran tight end is meeting with the Dolphins today, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Fant’s first visit took place with the Bengals last week, but it was reported at the time interest was being shown from other suitors. As such, the Saints hosted him shortly after Cincinnati did the same. With no deal in place yet, Miami will explore another addition at the tight end spot.

After it became clear no extension would be worked out with Jonnu Smith, the Pro Bowler was included in the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick trade. That move created a vacancy at the tight end position, and the Dolphins moved quickly in taking an unexpected route to fill it. A trade was worked out with the Giants to acquire Darren Waller, who has unretired to play at least one more NFL campaign.

If healthy, Waller should be able to operate as Miami’s top pass-catcher at the tight end spot. The same would also be true of Fant if he were to join the team, however. The 27-year-old has not struggled to line up suitors in the wake of his Seahawks release. Fant has recorded at least 40 catches in five of his six NFL seasons, notching 500 or more yards on four occasions.

Similar production could be expected if Fant were to join the Dolphins, although Waller could also occupy a notable complementary role to wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle if things go according to plan in his case. Miami opened up cap space with yesterday’s restructure of Fitzpatrick’s contract, creating the possibility of a short-term signing amongst the veterans still on the market. Fant will now be a name to watch on that front as he contemplates his options.

TE Noah Fant To Visit Saints

July 25th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Adam La Rose

Noah Fant‘s free agent tour began yesterday with the Bengals. The veteran tight end is exploring his options before taking a new deal, though.

Fant will meet with the Saints, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. He adds yesterday’s Bengals summit went well, meaning a Cincinnati agreement is still possible. It will be interesting to see how this New Orleans visit plays out.

Fant is among the top free agents on the market during the opening stages of training camp. He was released by the Seahawks on Sunday in a cost-shedding move. The 27-year-old spent the past three seasons in Seattle, operating as the team’s top tight end. In spite of that workload, Fant was unable to replicate his production from his three-year Broncos stint.

The former first-rounder posted at least 40 receptions and 562 yards every year with Denver. Fant managed 130 catches during his time in Seattle, but he not able to be as efficient with his second career team. Still, he could offer a boost to the passing attack of any number of interested suitors.

The Saints still have tight end Juwan Johnson in the fold after he re-signed on a three-year, $30.75MM pact this offseason. Fellow veteran Foster Moreau is also set to reprise his role as a regular on offense. Taysom Hill joined Moreau on the active/PUP list this week as he rehabs an ACL tear. Bringing in Fant would offer healthy depth at the tight end spot for a Saints team looking to avoid the skill position injuries suffered on offense last season.

New Orleans is using training camp and the preseason to determine the team’s starting quarterback. Regardless of who the Saints – currently armed with almost $23MM in cap space – wind up handing the reins to, Fant would be capable of adding depth at the TE spot with a signing.

TE Noah Fant Visiting Bengals; Other Teams Interested

July 24th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Less than a week after being released by the Seahawks, tight end Noah Fant is already receiving interest from multiple teams, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Fant is visiting Cincinnati today, per Schultz, giving the Bengals the first crack at signing the former first-rounder.

Originally selected with the No. 20 pick in 2019, Fant is considered somewhat of a disappointment relative to his draft billing. He has still been a solid receiving tight end across his six-year career, but his blocking has left much to be desired. He ranked eighth among tight ends with 1,905 receiving yards over his first three seasons before he was sent to the Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022. In his three years in Seattle, Fant fell to 21st among tight ends with just 1,400 receiving yards.

The Bengals, meanwhile, finally found a productive tight end last year in Mike Gesicki, who caught 65 passes for 665 yards. (Prior to that, no Bengals tight end had reached 55 receptions or 500 receiving yards in a season in the Joe Burrow era.) Gesicki was retained this offseason on a three-year, $25.5MM deal, solidifying him as the team’s starter, certainly for 2025 and likely for 2026 as well. 2019 second-rounder Drew Sample only has one season above 200 receiving yards, but he actually led the Bengals’ tight end room in 2024 with 655 starts (57.61% snap share) to Gesicki’s 523 (46% snap share). 2024 fourth-rounder Erick All is out for the year with a torn ACL, so the TE3 role currently belongs to Tanner Hudson, a reliable, inexpensive player who offers little upside.

Fant certainly offers more receiving prowess than Hudson, but it’s hard to imagine him eating into Gesicki’s role as a receiver, often in the slot, or Sample’s as an inline blocker. The Bengals will likely need to sell Fant on an appealing role (and/or contract) to get him to agree to terms before leaving Cincinnati. With other interested teams, however, Fant may look for a more clear-cut TE2 role elsewhere.

Seahawks Release TE Noah Fant

July 20th, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

Roster moves continue as teams prepare for the start of training camp. In the case of the Seahawks, that includes parting ways with a notable veteran.

Tight end Noah Fant has been released, per a team announcement. One year remained on his contract with a nonguaranteed base salary of $8.49MM owed. Rather than keeping Fant in the fold for 2025, Seattle will move on.

This decision will result in $8.91MM in cap savings for the Seahawks while incurring a dead money charge of $4.5MM. Fant will now look to find a new opportunity during training camp. The team, meanwhile, will give its other tight ends a larger opportunity during practice before deciding if an addition is required ahead of Week 1.

A first-round pick of the Broncos in 2019, Fant totaled 1,400 yards on 130 receptions during his time with the team. He was included in the Russell Wilson blockbuster, though, so he spent the past three years in Seattle. The Iowa product was unable to reach the same level of production in Seattle that he managed in Denver; his 500 yards in 2024 were the most in the Emerald City but fell short of any of his three Broncos campaigns.

Seattle moved on from both D.K. Metcalf (via trade) and Tyler Lockett (via release) this offseason. Those decisions will leave the team with a noticeably different receiver room in 2025. Returnee Jaxon Smith-Njigba and free agent signing Cooper Kupp will lead the way at that spot moving forward. Fant will not reprise his role as the Seahawks’ primary pass-catching tight end, however.

The 27-year-old will be a name to watch in free agency as teams sort out their depth charts over the coming weeks. Fant would give any number of suitors a starting-caliber presence at the position or at least a strong pass catcher to complement another tight end best suited to run blocking. It will be interesting to see how his market takes shape.

In the meantime, Seattle will move forward with a depth chart including second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo. AJ Barner is set for his second year with the team, and veteran Eric Saubert is a depth option. By releasing Fant, the Seahawks are (barring another move) committing to that trio to handle tight end duties for at least the 2025 season.

Seahawks To Re-Sign TE Noah Fant

March 11th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Noah Fant is sticking with the Seahawks. The tight end is signing a two-year, $21MM deal to stay in Seattle, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.

Fant was among the best tight ends available in this year’s free agency class. We’ve already seen a handful of players at the position come off the board, with Fant representing one of the top remaining options.

The Russell Wilson trade piece has not quite justified his first-round pedigree, but he’s still been productive since joining the Seahawks. The organization picked up the tight end’s fifth-year option following the trade, allowing the Seahawks to squeeze two years out of their acquisition.

Fant has two 670-yard receiving seasons on his resume, both coming in Denver. The Seahawks did not utilize Fant in the same way. After back-to-back 90-target seasons as a Bronco, the Iowa alum drew only 82 in two Seahawk seasons.

Fant finished his first season in Seattle with 50 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns. His counting stats took a significant step back this past season, with Fant hauling in only 32 catches in 17 games. While those numbers won’t have anyone confusing Fant with a top-tier TE, the player is still young, durable (two career games missed) and clocked a sub-4.5-second 40 time at the 2019 Combine.

With Fant, Dalton Schultz, and Hunter Henry off the free agent board, Gerald Everett likely stands as the best remaining TE on the market.

Latest On Texans, TE Dalton Schultz

March 3rd, 2024 at 11:22am CST by Sam Robinson

Dalton Schultz‘s free agent market underwhelmed last year. After being franchise-tagged by the Cowboys in 2022, the veteran starter settled for a one-year, $6.5MM Texans accord. It seems likely he will fare better this year.

The Texans are interested in retaining Schultz, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson indicating the tight end still wants to stay in Houston. Naturally, it will come down to terms. The Cowboys prevented Schultz from testing the market two years ago, and teams had cooled on the former Jason Witten successor by 2023. After another solid showing as a pass catcher, Schultz should have a chance to make up for lost time if he hits the open market.

[RELATED: Jonathan Greenard’s FA Price Rising]

Although neither of the tight ends who played 2022 on the tag did well as free agents in 2023 — Mike Gesicki scored just $4.5MM in base value from the Patriots — ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes many teams expect Schultz to command a deal north of $10MM per year.

Evan Engram and Cole Kmet became the latest tight ends to cross the eight-figure-per-year threshold, doing so in 2023; 11 TEs are there presently. This market has not shown substantial growth, but Schultz’s production should warrant a commitment in this range. He ranks in the top 10 in receptions, yards and touchdowns among tight ends since taking the reins in Dallas in 2020. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher has topped 575 yards in each season, reaching 808 in 2021 and totaling 635 and five TDs in Houston last season.

The Patriots could potentially be in play for Schultz, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler writes. They have Hunter Henry‘s three-year deal coming off the books soon. That said, the Pats’ 2021 tight end splurge — for Henry and Jonnu Smith — offered middling results. Henry did produce at points, however, and the Patriots have carved out considerable cap space ahead of Jerod Mayo‘s first offseason in charge. As of Sunday morning, New England leads the league with $101MM in cap room. The Texans carry a hefty amount, too, holding just more than $70MM.

Barring 11th-hour re-ups, this year’s TE free agent crop is set to include Schultz, Smith, Henry, Gesicki, Noah Fant and Gerald Everett. Fant is a player who figures to join Schultz as a coveted free agent, Fowler adds. Included in the Russell Wilson trade, Fant did not see his numbers spike in Seattle. After back-to-back seasons north of 650 yards in Denver, Fant did not clear 500 in either Seattle slate. But the Iowa product carries a first-round pedigree and is going into his age-26 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/23

July 30th, 2023 at 7:20pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves around the league to wrap up the weekend:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Igwebuike, the former safety-turned-running back, likely won’t have a role in a crowded running backs room that currently includes rookie top-ten pick Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and Cordarrelle Patterson. He does have some experience on kick return, where he could compete with Patterson and Avery Williams for a role.

The Rams added some quality, experienced depth today in Freeman. While he’s failed to reach the success he found as a primary backup in his first two seasons, Freeman should have plenty of tread on the tires at only 27 years old with minimal usage over the past three years. Behind starter Cam Akers, Los Angeles only has second-year Kyren Williams and rookie sixth-rounder Zach Evans, so bringing in an experienced backup like Freeman should be beneficial.

The Giants add two depth pieces back to their beat-up receiving corps. Getting them back into the fold will be beneficial for training camp. Meanwhile, across the way, new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get to work with his old teammate, Cobb, once again.

The retirement of Pottebaum comes as a bit of a shock so early into camp. The Iowa-product was a part of Pittsburgh’s small, seven-man undrafted free agent class this year. Not only that, but heading into camp, Pottebaum was also the only fullback listed on the roster. He was in attendance for the Steelers’ first week of training camp, as well, but now appears to be on his way out. This doesn’t leave Pittsburgh completely high and dry as the team was already exploring the option of utilizing tight end Connor Heyward in a role more similar to what he played in college. Heyward could earn a much larger role in his sophomore season by taking on a few more snaps at fullback.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/23

July 26th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Cody Chrest
  • Placed on NFI: OT Caleb Jones
  • Waived/injured: WR Jeff Cotton

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Among the additions on today’s list, defensive back A.J. Moore is the most notable. The defensive back spent four years with the Texans to begin his career, compiling 69 tackles in 55 games while primarily playing on special teams. The 27-year-old spent a chunk of last season on the Titans practice squad, and he ultimately got into one game with the big-league club.

Seahawks TEs Poised For More Prominent Role?

July 9th, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks will have a much different look on offense in 2022 in the absence of Russell Wilson. While the team does still have two accomplished pass-catchers on the perimeter, the tight end group could be in line for a more featured role in 2022. 

ESPN’s Brady Henderson cites that unit – rather than any one member of it – as Seattle’s offensive breakout candidate. The team’s TE usage generally ranked mid-pack at best during Wilson’s tenure at the helm, with the exception of Jimmy Graham‘s three-year stint in the Emerald City. With either Drew Lock or Geno Smith under center for at least the immediate future, though, more targets could be funnelled toward the middle of the field.

The primary beneficiary of such an offensive shift would be Noah Fant. Part of the package Seattle received from Denver in the Wilson trade, the 24-year-old has flashed potential during his first three seasons in the NFL, but fallen short of expectations given his draft stock. The No. 20 pick in his class (which, as Henderson notes, took him off the board right before Seattle would have selected him), Fant acknowledged the possibility for greater production after the trade.

“I’m kind of stuck at that high-600 [yards] ceiling, and I’ve got to break through that” he said. “I think I have every opportunity to do that in Seattle, and I’m excited to get to work to do that.”

More attention on the TE position could also see Will Dissly playing a more prominent role. The former fourth-rounder has put up consistent number during his four years with the Seahawks, earning him a three-year, $24MM deal in free agency to remain with the team. His blocking ability will always give him a path to playing time in the team’s run-heavy offense, but even a slight uptick in targets could lead to positive results for the offense. The same could be true of 2020 draftee Colby Parkinson, whom head coach Pete Carroll spoke highly of as part of his general optimism surrounding the group.

“We’ve got a lot of flexibility with these guys, and they’re going to be a big part of what we’re doing,” he said. It remains to be seen how the unit will mesh with a new QB and wideouts Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, but a large workload could be in store.

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