As one Big 10 tight end falls, another one rises.
The Seattle Seahawks made a somewhat shocking announcement on Sunday, that they would be releasing former first-round tight end Noah Fant after three years with the team.
Fant, an Iowa Hawkeye tight end who came over to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos in 2022, caught 48 passes for 500 yards and just one touchdown in the 2024 season.
However, there's another Big 10 tight end on the team that could see his target share expand greatly with Fant's departure, former Michigan tight end A.J. Barner.
Barner, who was part of the 2023 national championship-winning Michigan team after spending three seasons in Indiana with the Hoosiers, was selected by the Seahawks with the 121st overall pick in round four of the 2024 NFL Draft and was quite the red zone target in his rookie season, catching 30 passes for 245 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Barner's yardage production was the fourth highest amongst rookie tight ends, far behind Las Vegas' Brock Bowers, who even received a first-team All-Pro selection for his incredible rookie year.
Barner, however, will still have to fight for the starting spot with Elijah Arroyo, who the Seahawks drafted this year in the second round, and also veteran Eric Saubert.
The Seahawks open up 2025 hot and heavy with a divisional matchup against their biggest rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, on Sunday, September 7 at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Category: General Sports
