Tag: Noah Fant

Noah Fant named PFF’s favorite free agent move for Seahawks

According to Pro Football Focus, the deal with Fant was the best move that Seattle has made in free agency so far.

By and large, the Seahawks decided to let their key free agents walk out the door this year. Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Damien Lewis, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson will all be suiting up for different NFL teams in 2024. Seattle made two exceptions to the rule, though. For one thing, they managed to re-sign star defensive end Leonard Williams to a big three-year, $64.5 million contract. They also re-signed tight end Noah Fant to a two-year, $21 million deal.

According to Pro Football Focus, the deal with Fant was the best move that Seattle has made in free agency so far, per Brad Spielberger at PFF:

“Fant should take on an even larger role in Seattle’s offense with the team moving on from both Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson this offseason, and his abilities after the catch were on display in 2023 when he was called upon. Improved pass protection for Geno Smith should hopefully enable him to work through his progressions and find Fant more frequently going forward.”

Last season Fant’s targets actually dropped from 63 to 43, and he was almost completely shut out in the red zone. He was targeted only twice all year inside the 20 and did not score any touchdowns. This criminal misuse of the athletic Fant is one of many reasons why moving on from offensive coordinator Shaen Waldron was the right call.

There was a case to move on from Fant and net what would have likely been a decent comp pick. However, it doesn’t take much imagination to see Fant dominating in Ryan Grubb’s offense. Keeping him in the fold and letting Grubb set him loose should give the Seahawks their first legitimate receiving weapon at this position since Jimmy Graham.

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Seahawks re-signing tight end Noah Fant to 2-year deal

Fant is the first free agent who’s been re-signed by Seattle in this cycle.

The Seahawks are re-signing tight end Noah Fant to a two-year deal worth a total of $21 million, according to a report by Jordan Schultz at Bleacher Report.

Fant (26) is the first free agent who’s been re-signed by Seattle in this cycle. It’s no surprise that it’s a tight end, a position where the market has moved incredibly quick over the last few days. Just observe the contracts that Fant’s teammates have gotten today. Both Will Dissly (Chargers) and Colby Parkinson (Rams) signed eight-figure, three-year deals with other teams.

Retaining Fant at this price point is a win for the Seahawks, especially considering what other tight ends are getting. Fant may have been underused by former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron the last two seasons, only earning 106 total targets. Fant is still a very athletic receiver with the ability to stretch the field and tack on YAC. It doesn’t take much imagination to see him producting a lot in Ryan Grubb’s offense.

Looking ahead, Fant will be at the top of the depth chart for Seattle’s tight end room. Who will be in there with him remains to be seen. For now, practice squad member Tyler Mabry is the only other tight end on the roster.

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Former Seahawks TE Will Dissly plans to sign with Chargers on 3-year deal

Happy National Pay Tight Ends Day!

Happy National Pay Tight Ends Day!

The latest member to join the club is former Seahawks and Huskies tight end Will Dissly, who was released last week for $7 million in cap savings. It didn’t take Dissly long to find a new home in the NFL. According to Jordan Schultz at Bleacher Report, Dissly is signing a three-year, $14 million deal with the Chargers. $10 million of it is fully guaranteed.

Dissly had appeared in 72 games with Seattle over the last six seasons. All together, he’s totaled 127 catches, 1,421 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Dissly is the second Seahawks tight end to get a new deal today. Colby Parkinson is also on his way to LA, having agreed to terms of a slightly larger three-year deal with the Rams.

Tyler Mabry and Noah Fant are now the only tight ends on the roster, and Fant will become a free agent in two days. Based on the kinds of deals that have been going around, keeping Fant around is not going to be cheap.

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Available free agent tight ends for the Broncos in 2024

The Broncos could look to free agency to add more depth at tight end this offseason.

The NFL’s free agency negotiating window will open on Monday, followed by the official start of free agency on Wednesday.

The Denver Broncos won’t be able to make as many splash signings this year as they did in 2023, but the team has a few positions that could use reinforcements.

One position that stands out on the roster is tight end. Greg Dulcich has plenty of potential, but he has struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons. Adam Trautman stepped up as the team’s No. 1 tight end last year, but Trautman is now set to hit free agency next week.

So we’ve put together a quick list of tight available tight ends the Broncos could consider during free agency.

Note that two of the tight ends listed below — Hayden Hurst and C.J. Uzomah — are not yet free agents, but they are expected to be released by their respective teams in the coming days.

The Real Forno Show: 12 free agents Vikings should pursue

On the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, we discuss 12 free agents the Minnesota Vikings should pursue in free agency.

This is an incredibly pivotal offseason for the Minnesota Vikings. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is tasked with finding the future at the quarterback position along with potentially replacing Danielle Hunter and extending Justin Jefferson.

With nearly $40 million in salary cap space, there is plenty of salary cap space to make a splash and fortify the roster. On the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, we discuss 12 players that they should be targeting once the legal tampering period begins on March 11th.

  • Miami DT Christian Wilkins
  • Miami DE Emmanuel Ogbah
  • Miami ILB Jerome Baker
  • Cincinnati DT D.J. Reader
  • Seattle TE Noah Fant
  • Seattle ILB Jordyn Brooks
  • New York RB Saquon Barkley
  • San Francisco DT Javon Kinlaw
  • San Francisco EDGE Chase Young
  • Dallas EDGE Dorance Armstrong Jr.
  • Baltimore EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
  • Carolina ILB Frankie Luvu

Why should they target these players and which combinations would make sense to target in unison? How many do they “need to” sign?

We are here to break it all down and more on the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, airing Monday and Wednesday nights at 6 pm central on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

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Seahawks also releasing tight end Will Dissly for cap savings

This move saves the Seahawks another $7 million in cap room.

When it rains it pours. That’s especially true in the Pacific Northwest, where a quiet offseason of Seahawks news has suddenly burst with a bunch of roster moves. Only moments ago we learned that the Seahawks were releasing both strong safety Jamal Adams and free safety Quandre Diggs, freeing up some $27.5 million in cap space for the 2024 season.

Just minutes later, Tom Pelissero at NFL Network followed up with another reported roster cut for Seattle: tight end Will Dissly. This move saves the Seahawks another $7 million in cap room.

Dissly was a fan favorite in Seattle, having previously played for the University of Washington in college. All together he appeared in 72 games with the Seahawks, totaling a little over 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The good news for Dissly is that he’s entering a very weak market for tight ends and might be able to earn even more as a free agent than he would have in Seattle for 2024. Yesterday ESPN reported that even third-string tight end Colby Parkinson is getting some buzz as a sleeper free agent.

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Seahawks TE Colby Parkinson getting buzz as sleeper free agent

Here’s a name you probably didn’t expect to see getting headlines ahead of free agency.

Here’s a name you probably didn’t expect to see getting headlines ahead of free agency. According to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Seahawks tight end Colby Parkinson is among the players who are about to hit the market who are getting some buzz.

“Colby Parkinson: Sure, he played behind Noah Fant in Seattle, but he has field-stretching ability. The free agent and draft tight end classes aren’t deep, so keep an eye on Parkinson.”

Parkinson has some legitimate ability as a receiver and he’s a respectable-enough blocker, but for any third-string tight end to be getting attention as a pending free agent says alot about the lack of depth of the upcoming tight end class in the 2024 NFL draft, as well as the free agent class.

The Seahawks may want to keep Parkinson in the fold if for no other reason than they’re going to be a couple guys short. As Fowler mentioned, Noah Fant is also about to become a free agent and if this report is any indication then he’s about to get a big pay-day. It also makes sense for Seattle to cut Will Dissly for cap savings, which would leave them with only practice squad tight end Tyler Mabry if Parkinson winds up leaving, as well.

For what it’s worth, Spotrac is projecting Parkinson’s market value at $6.6 million per year.

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7 free agent tight ends Giants could target to replace Darren Waller

If Darren Waller opts to retire, here are seven free agent tight ends the New York Giants could target as a replacement option.

One year after acquiring tight end Darren Waller via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants may be forced into replacing him.

Waller told the New York Post on Friday that he’s “still undecided” about his future and could opt to retire.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Because of Waller’s transparency with the Giants, they have already begun to pour over the names slated to become available in free agency.

With Waller’s future uncertain and a need at the position beyond just 2024, here’s a look at seven free agent tight ends the Giants could consider.

Noah Fant suggested as free agent Bengals must target

Could Noah Fant solve Cincinnati’s tight end issues?

The Cincinnati Bengals sound like a team tired of the “revolving door” at the tight end position.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t address it in free agency again.

Case in point, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz suggesting the one key free agent the Bengals should look at as Noah Fant:

Fant has never quite lived up to expectations as a first-rounder, but that’s more an issue of usage than efficiency. 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.

Fant, a first-round pick in 2019, never broke out in Denver and didn’t score last year over 17 games in Seattle, yet remains 26 years old and potentially in need of the right fit to meet those expectations.

But again, we’ll see if the Bengals want another rehab attempt on a short-team deal at the spot. On paper, it would be easy to see them re-signing Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson before drafting a long-term option as early as Round 1.

Still, Fant is a good example of the value that might be available on the market to a team that needs depth help and options that can possibly extend beyond a single season.

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13 pending offensive free agents with ties to the Panthers’ coaching staff

Mike Evans, who is set to hit the open market, had his best season in years under new Panthers HC Dave Canales.

With new head coach Dave Canales leading the transition, the Carolina Panthers have completely overhauled their offensive staff this winter. And with new faces comes new connections for the organization.

Here are 13 pending offensive free agents, in areas of particular need, with ties to Canales’ staff: