Broncos Urged to Bring Back Former First Round Pick After Shocking Release

Despite the roster showing the Denver Broncos had several tight ends on the roster for all of their games last season, you can be forgiven for feeling as if there were none. They were that bad.

The Broncos tried to remedy that in the offseason when they went out and signed free agent tight end Evan Engram to a 2-year, $23 million contract, giving Denver the player their offense so sorely needs and giving the 2-time Pro Bowler a chance to play on a contender after playing in just 2 playoff games through his first 8 seasons.

What the Broncos still don’t have at tight end is any discernible depth. There’s a familiar face could solve that problem after former Broncos tight end Noah Fant was released by the Seattle Seahawks in a shocking move that cleared almost $9 million in salary cap space.

The Broncos selected Fant in the first round (No. 20 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.

“Fant had a non-guaranteed base salary of $8.49 million in 2025,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on July 24. “A season-ending injury early in camp would have stuck the Seahawks with that full amount. It’s possible that the Seahawks approached Fant about taking less, and that he balked at their offer of a reduced deal.”

Whatever Fant gets in terms of money in 2025, it will be considerably lower than the $8.49 million he was scheduled to make. Practically thinking, a new deal for Fant would probably be something in line with a 1-year contract worth between $3 million to $5 million, at the most.

Fant Could Still Be Primo Tight End Moving Forward

Fant seems like he could still be a huge help to an NFL team in need of a tight end after putting up 48 receptions for 500 yards and 1 touchdown in 2024 despite missing 3 games due to injuries.

Fant had the best seasons of his career in Denver, with 170 receptions for 1,905 yards and 10 touchdowns in 3 seasons. In 3 seasons with Seattle, he had 130 receptions for 1,400 yards and 5 touchdowns.

It’s possible Fant might even thrive away from Seattle, where it’s safe to say being part of what’s been called one of the worst NFL trades of all time might have still hung over his head — the disastrous deal that sent Super Bowl winning quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seahawks to the Broncos.

“The Wilson trade might be considered the worst of the last decade if not for the (Deshaun) Watson debacle,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote. “The Broncos coughed up two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant to acquire Wilson and a fourth-round pick. The Broncos then signed Wilson to an extension worth $242.6 million over five years with $161 million guaranteed.”

The Broncos released Wilson after 2 seasons and took on $85 million in dead cap space spread out over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Zero Faith in What Broncos Have Behind Engram

There’s no guarantee Engram will stay healthy in 2025. He’s about to turn 31 years old and coming off a season in which he missed 8 games due to injuries.

Behind him, there’s no tight end the Broncos can turn to with any faith. It’s a group that includes Adam Trautman (13 receptions, 188 yards) and Lucas Krull (19 receptions, 152 yards).