The Seattle Seahawks released tight end Noah Fant after three less-than-terrific seasons. That adds to their already ample cap space. Seattle must have a plan for that extra cash. Or, they'd better.
I can't say that I'm surprised that Noah Fant is no longer with the Seahawks. I fully expected them to trade Fant for a starting guard. I imagine John Schneider worked the phones, but couldn't get what he wanted. Or it's quite likely that his compadres knew that the Seahawks were going to release him anyway, so they just waited him out.
It's not that I don't like Fant, or think he wasn't worth keeping on the team. But based on his production, he had no business sitting on the Seahawks' second-highest cap hit. If you're making more than your quarterback, you better score more than one touchdown in your past 31 games. Who knows? Schneider may bring him back on a smaller deal if another team doesn't grab him soon.
Seattle Seahawks need to sign a big name with the money cleared by cutting Noah Fant
The Seahawks certainly didn't need to release Fant to save money. They already had almost $29 million in cap space, per overthecap.com. They ranked 12th in the league in cap space. The release of Fant will bump Seattle's cap up to $37.6 million, good for the fourth-most in the league. The contracts of Nick Emmanwori and Elijah Arroyo are already accounted for, too. Thankfully.
With that extra moolah, Schneider has the room to make a splashy move. Certified nasty pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has made it clear that he won't play for the Bengals under his current deal. So Seattle would have to pony up significantly more than $15.8 million per year to land him.
It will likely take at least $30 million to get him to Seattle. Danielle Hunter and Maxx Crosby are both making a bit over $35 million, and Hendrickson fits right in with those guys.
Now, you might think, why would the Seahawks sign such an expensive pass rusher when they already added DeMarcus Lawrence? First, you can never have too many pass rushers. Second, bear in mind that there's no timetable for Uchenna Nwosu's return.
Third, and most importantly, Hendrickson had more sacks than Boye Mafe and Derick Hall combined last year. So, yeah, he'd be a great addition.
If Seattle doesn't go with the high-ticket item, they could address an area where they really have a need. That would be at right guard, of course. While I've preferred other options, Brandon Scherff remains the top free agent guard.
He's been on our radar for quite some time, and I imagine he's on Schneider's as well. According to spotrac.com, his current market value is less than $7 million. Heck, at this point, the Seahawks could sign both Hendrickson and Scherff. Hallelujah!