The Miami Dolphins’ efforts to secure a trade partner for the services of linebacker Kyle Van Noy have come up empty. Miami, after it was reported that the team would be parting ways with the former Patriots linebacker, has made their split official with an announcement this afternoon that the Dolphins have released Van Noy one year into a 4-year, $51M contract signed just one year ago this month.
We have released LB Kyle Van Noy.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) March 10, 2021
The formalities of the transaction were put on hold for the past week or so as the Dolphins hoped to find a team willing to trade for Van Noy’s services — an effort that would have allowed the Dolphins to recoup some level of compensation for a decision that likely came down in large part due to the salary cap restrictions of 2021 as the league looks to put the revenue losses of the 2020 season behind them.
With the salary cap officially announced today to be $182.5M for the 2021 league year, Miami officially made the decision to part ways with Van Noy and clear up room to presumably upgrade their offensive depth chart.
Van Noy, to his credit, was everything the Dolphins hoped he would be when they signed him. He served as a leader in 2020, played through a hip injury for the majority of the season and equalled or bettered several statistics during his first year in Miami with the Dolphins. Now, Van Noy will be an unrestricted free agent and in search of another contract. One thing that is safe to assume is that amid the reduced cap, Van Noy will not find a market equal to what he would have been paid had he stayed on the Dolphins’ roster this offseason. He was scheduled for over $12M in salary this year, which is likely a big reason why no trade partner could be found by the Dolphins.