Steelers' stunning deal for Jalen Ramsey could trigger Seahawks counterstrike

The long-awaited trade of Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey happened on Monday as he was shipped to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That Ramsey was moved is not in itself overly disruptive to the Seattle Seahawks' plans or hopes of succeeding in 2025. At least, Ramsey was not dealt to someone in the NFC West.

The details of the trade might matter to Seattle, though. Ramsey was sent to former Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf's new team, the Steelers, along with tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round draft choice in return for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round choice (odd that none of the draft picks are 2026 choices).

It's Smith going to Metcalf and the Steelers that could mean something to Seattle. Immediately after the trade was announced, the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero tweeted that the Dolphins were in talks with several teams about acquiring a tight end. It makes sense that Seattle could be one of those teams.

Seahawks' Noah Fant could be even more of a trade target after blockbuster Jalen Ramsey move

If that did happen, one can safely assume that Seattle tight end Noah Fant would be part of those discussions. Fant has been rumored to be potentially traded for months now. Should the Seahawks trade him, the team would save $8.9 million.

Not that Seattle seems to need that cap space currently, because only one draft pick remains unsigned (safety Nick Emmanwori), and his cap hit will be relatively small. There are no free agents remaining that the team would likely be aggressively chasing, either.

Maybe general manager John Schneider has plans for what he could do with the extra cap room that dealing Fant would create. Maybe the Seahawks then try to make a deal for Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has gone through upsetting contract extension talks recently. Cincy might want to move him instead of keeping trying to extend him.

As for Fant, Seattle likely drafted his replacement in 2025 in the person of Elijah Arroyo. Arroyo is much more of a receiver than a blocker at this point, but Fant has been that throughout his career, and he has underwhelmed (never exceeding 500 receiving yards in any of his three seasons with Seattle).

Fant is not a bad person and is fairly sure-handed, but he cannot seem to break through as an extremely productive receiver.

He also went nearly two full seasons without scoring a touchdown until he did so in Week 18 of the 2024 season. He scored points in an ultimately meaningless game as the Seahawks' opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, had already clinched a playoff spot, leaving Seattle out of the postseason.

If the Dolphins do aggressively chase a tight end in a trade, whether Noah Fant is available is nearly certain to be a part of those talks. Seahawks fans probably would not be surprised if Fant ends up in a Dolphins uniform in 2025.