NFL analyst says Seattle Seahawks have made the league's worst investment at tight end

The Seattle Seahawks have bucked their historic trends the last couple of years in free agency. After years of miserly spending, they splurged to sign former Denver Broncos defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones in 2023. They opened up the purse again for Leonard Williams this year, signing him to an even more-lucrative three-year contract. Seattle also spent a pretty penny to keep tight end Noah Fant in the fold, signing him to a two-year, $21 million deal.

If that sounds like a lot of money for what Fant has given the Seahawks the last couple of seasons, you're not alone. Bleacher Report NFL analyst Bryan Fowler has put together a list introducing the most-overpaid players at every position in the league. For tight end, he chose Fant's new deal with Seattle.

"The NFL's 10th-highest paid tight end, Noah Fant's contract value hasn't aligned with the production expected within the hashes. A 2019 first-round selection for the Denver Broncos, the 26-year-old failed to reach the end zone in 2023 and enters the fall with a massive spotlight on his game considering his cap hit next season ($13.5 million). It's a long line for targets in Seattle, but more is expected from the flex weapon in Fant considering his annual earnings."

Why Noah Fant isn't actually overpaid

While it's true Fant's contract isn't justified by his past production, the Seahawks were in a bind at this spot, having already seen Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson sign with other teams within hours of the start of free agency. Tight ends were clearly at a premium early in the cycle, and considering what those two got on the open market, Fant's deal looks a lot more reasonable by comparison.

In any case, Seattle isn't paying Fant for what he's done in the past, but what he's doing to do going forward. Specifically, Fant should be a big part of new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's scheme. That could mean a huge bump in Fant's numbers compared to what he did with previous offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who misused Fant along with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to name just a couple of players who went to waste under his guidance.

At his best with the Broncos, Fant posted 673 yards and four touchdowns. It would come as a surprise if he didn't break both of those records this year.