The Seattle Seahawks have made waves throughout this entire offseason, to put it mildly. And this week was no different as it was recently reported by Pro Football Talk that Seattle released veteran tight end Noah Fant. While this move by itself isn’t surprising, the timing of the decision (right before training camp) indicates the Seahawks have exceptional belief in one rookie in particular.
Fant, originally a first-round pick by Denver, produced 130 receptions for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns over three seasons in Seattle (according to Pro Football Talk). However, metrics from last season showed Fant slipping into the bottom third among NFL tight ends in both overall and receiving grades according to Pro Football Focus. On a raw production basis Fant wasn’t much more successful. In a pass-catching group that featured names like DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN), many expected Fant to exploit favorable coverages. But according to the data (and the eye test as well) Fant simply fell short.
The spotlight now lands on Elijah Arroyo, Seattle’s exciting rookie tight end. Arroyo signed his rookie deal just days ago, and Fant’s release came almost immediately after. The timing there obviously isn’t coincidental. Seattle’s leadership clearly believed Arroyo was an upgrade. They just wanted to make sure that he would sign before moving off their veteran tight end.
Why the optimism for the young rookie out of Miami? While Arroyo wasn’t a perfect all-around tight end, his skill set yielded an impressive amount of production, particularly in two crucial categories: yards per reception and yards after catch (YAC) per reception. When compared against other top tight ends from the 2025 NFL Draft (including Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, and Terrance Ferguson), Arroyo stands out:
Because of the playmakers already present on the Seattle offense (JSN, Cooper Kupp) Arroyo will likely not get a lot of targets. He will have to make them count and avoid drops at all costs. And in this statistic Arroyo also excelled in college. He was tied with Tyler Warren as having the best Drop Percentage in the comparison group, well above Ferguson and slightly above Loveland.
Cutting Fant was about more than just Arroyo’s emergence. The Seahawks, under the leadership of GM John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald, have spent the offseason recalibrating their roster and finances. When the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson years ago they acquired a plethora of draft picks which they turned into a combination of quality players and stars. But now Seattle must be ready to pay those players. If they walk, the entire Russell Wilson trade would’ve been for nought. Creating cap space by moving on from veterans like Fant, and making tough decisions like trading Geno Smith and DK Metcalf earlier in the year, was about preserving resources to lock up this talented core.
Seattle’s strategy is clear: invest in youth, reward emerging stars before they can hit the open market, and maintain flexibility to keep the nucleus intact. The decision to turn to Arroyo at tight end fits perfectly into this smart, long-term vision.
A tight end room led by Arroyo and second-year man AJ Barner signals a fresh chapter in Seahawks history. As the season approaches, all eyes will be on the rookie who’s already been impressing the coaches.
Seattle’s decision isn’t just a gamble on Arroyo’s raw talent. It’s yet another piece in their multi year strategy to reorient the franchise. And if the latest Seahawks news any indication, this piece is poised to make a massive impact.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the Saturday Morning Inspection YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
