Analysis: Will Seahawks Pick Up Noah Fant's Fifth-Year Option?
Noah Fant has been a member of the Seahawks for a little under a month, but the duration of his stay in the Pacific Northwest is already up in the air. The former first-round pick out of Iowa is entering the fourth season of his young NFL career, which means Seattle will have to decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year contract option by May 2.
So far, despite the fast-approaching deadline, Fant says he and the organization have yet to discuss the matter.
“No indication yet," Fant told reporters during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "Haven't really had any talks of that. But for me, it's just kind of letting that fall where it may. I'm focused on getting in there [for the start of the Seahawks' offseason program] on April 18 or 19 and getting to work. And getting to see my locker and getting to see the facility and stuff like that and let everything else take care of itself.”
If picked up, Fant's fifth-year option would cost the Seahawks $6.85 million in 2023. The $4.75 million uptick from the $2.1 million salary he'll make this season would, as the market currently stands, make him the 19th highest-paid tight end in the NFL by APY.
Despite catching passes from a carousel of Broncos quarterbacks, Fant ranks eighth amongst all tight ends in receiving yards (1,905) and receptions (170) since entering the league. Finding the end zone has been a bit more difficult for him, placing 19th in touchdowns with 10. But overall, Seattle would essentially be paying a top-20 price for a tight end hovering around top-10 production if it picked up his option.
That makes the decision to say yes appear more or less like a no-brainer for general manager John Schneider and company. Perhaps the only hangup is a potential desire to sign Fant to an extension, though negotiations don't have to start for another year if the Seahawks don't want them to. Ultimately, the ball is in their court.
But it wouldn't come as a surprise if they want to lock Fant down beyond 2023. After all, they have coveted the Omaha, Nebraska native for quite some time—dating back to the night he was taken by Denver just one slot ahead of Seattle's first-round draft pick in 2019.
"We had his name written down," Schneider revealed in his joint press conference with head coach Pete Carroll on March 16. "It was that close, right? We thought he was coming to us.”
"I mean, in the green room when I was in Nashville, me and my agent were kind of talking about that a little bit, thinking that Seattle was a possibility," Fant reflected on the night he was drafted. "Obviously, John confirmed that in saying that they were going to pick me. But I ended up here at the right time. And obviously it would've been nice to be drafted either place. But I'm in the right place at the right time and excited to be here, especially with a team and a GM that wants me here. Excited to compete and get to work.”
Within the coming weeks, Fant will have a better idea of just how much Schneider and the Seahawks truly want him and for how long. At the very least, it appears likely his next two seasons will be spent in Seattle.
