Patriots Seen as New Home For $21 Million Former 1st-Round Tight End

In 2019, the Denver Broncos used their first round draft pick, 20th overall, to take Iowa tight end Noah Fant. Over three Denver seasons the durable Fant played in all but two of his team’s games, and served as a solid contributor. The Omaha, Nebraska, native averaged 3.6 catches and 40.5 yards per game, getting into the end zone 10 times and receiving 86 passes for first downs.

But following the 2021 season, the Broncos made what one commentator called a candidate for the worst trade in NFL history.

They sent a package of eight players to the Seattle Seahawks to get their hands on 2013 Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowl pick and likely Hall of Famer who, as it turned out, was approaching the end of his era as an elite NFL signal-caller at age 34.

Fant was one of the eight players included in that trade for Wilson — who played just two seasons in Denver before being unceremoniously cut from the roster.

Seahawks Cut Fant in Shock Move on Sunday

Now, three seasons after the blockbuster trade — and just one year after signing a two-year, $21 million contract with Seattle — Fant is himself without an NFL home.

The Seahawks suddenly released Fant on Sunday, in a shocking move just three days in advance of the start of Seahawks’ training camp.

Fant would come with an $8.49 million base salary in 2025, with a cap hit of $13.41 million.

There is one team that can easily absorb those dollar figures, but that is also in need of depth at the tight end position. And that team could make an ideal landing spot for the six-year veteran.

The team is the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, who are approaching the 2025 season with a renewed set of expectations and optimism, after a dismal two seasons that saw the once-indomitable Patriots win just eight of their 34 games.

In fact, since the departure of legendary quarterback Tom Brady following the 2019 season, the Patriots have enjoyed just one winning record. That came in 2021 when they won 10 games on the then-16-game schedule and qualified for the playoffs — though they lost their only playoff game to the Buffalo Bills.

Patriots TE3 Job Wide Open Ahead of Training Camp

The Patriots have a two-two tight end combination of Hunter Henry and Auston Hooper, who formed “one of the more productive tandems in football last season. The veterans piled up the fifth most receptions (113) and sixth most receiving yards (1,170) among tight ends as they became reliable targets for (rookie quarterback) Drake Maye” according to SB Nation Patriots correspondent Brian Hines.

Beyond Henry and Hooper, however, the Patriots remain a “question mark” in the tight end room. They neglected to draft anyone to compete for the TE3 slot, relying instead on a pair of undrafted free agents, C.J. Dippre from Alabama and former Ohio State tight end Gee Scott Jr. Whether either can even make the final 53-man roster remains an open question.

While Dippre and Scott Jr. bring respectable college credentials, despite going undrafted, Fant would come to New England ready to play with six years of NFL experience under multiple offensive systems. Appearing in 48 of a possible 51 games over his three seasons in Seattle, Fant caught 130 of 170 targeted passes for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns.

Fant also offers a high level of ball security. In 303 career touches of the football, he has fumbled only one time.

But the Patriots continue to lead the NFL with more than $60 million in open salary cap space, enabling them to absorb Fant’s remaining contract value with relative ease.