Noah Fant had been a consistent presence for the Seattle Seahawks over the years, which made it surprising when the team decided to cut him. Fant, who was originally traded to Seattle, became a staple in their offense. However, in the business-driven world of the NFL, things can change quickly. After taking several visits with different teams — including one with the Miami Dolphins — Fant ultimately decided to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.
His arrival adds a new dynamic to Cincinnati’s offense, as Joe Burrow now has two reliable tight ends after several years of inconsistency at the position.
“The Cincinnati Bengals broke the cycle at tight end this offseason when they re-signed veteran Mike Gesicki. Around training camp, they evolved the position a step further by signing Noah Fant after his surprise release in Seattle and visit-happy trip to the open market. So officially ended the Joe Burrow era’s penchant for tight ends on short deals who go make more money elsewhere,” Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling wrote.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Fant signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati.
“Terms for Noah Fant’s one-year deal with the Bengals: Base value: $2.75M. Maximum value: $4.25M,” Yates posted.
The Seahawks’ decision to release Fant raised eyebrows. On Monday, general manager John Schneider finally explained the reasoning behind the move.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
“He works his tail off, he can run,” Schneider said of Fant, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “He’s a good tight end and he’ll have a very nice productive year this year. We just felt like — in getting back to what I was saying about doing what’s best for the organization — we were at a point where we were just saying to ourselves, ‘OK, you know, can we — unfortunately, you have to look at things like this — like can we use that cash to help our team in a different manner? And are we OK at that position? And are we covered there? And while we never feel like we’re totally covered, you know, guys did have very strong springs.’”
In the end, it appears the Seahawks simply chose to move on. The organization likely felt Fant wasn’t worth the contract he would command, especially when they had other areas to allocate those resources. Now, Fant will look to carry over his success to Cincinnati, where he’ll aim to become a key target for Joe Burrow in a revamped Bengals offense.
