The news broke earlier this week that veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy’s stay in Miami would not be a lengthy one. The Dolphins, who signed Van Noy to a 4-year, $51M contract last spring, have had a reported change of heart and do not plan to retain one of their leaders on defense beyond the first few days of the 2021 league calendar year.
But while cutting Van Noy is the most likely of outcomes, it isn’t one that has immediately materialized in part because the Dolphins are holding out hope that they will be able to facilitate a trade for his services.
The Dolphins have not yet released OLB Kyle Van Noy because the team is trying to trade him, per source. Van Noy is due a $12.5M salary this year.
A tough trade to pull off even for a productive and respected player, but the Dolphins are trying.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 4, 2021
Getting a deal done should be considered something of a long shot considering the financial implications in play. Any team that brings Van Noy into the mix is going to pay handsomely for his services on his existing contract — whereas if teams wait out the Dolphins and allow him to clear waivers than his current contract becomes nullified. At that point, any new team could renegotiate a brand new contract with brand new financial terms.
But a long shot should be considered equal to an impossibility. The Dolphins were able to facilitate trades of players like Robert Quinn and Ryan Tannehill at the start of their rebuilding process despite the fact that both were posing significant financial challenges at the time — in part because Miami was willing to eat some of the money each player was due to get a better return via trade. Such a move would likely be necessary in a deal in 2021 for Van Noy, too.
But the Dolphins should be considered “on the clock” here, as clearing the space ahead of the start of free agency in less than two weeks is likely an objective Miami will want to achieve.
So sit tight, Dolphins fans. This saga may continue to linger in limbo for the time being — but Miami is doing their best to ensure a player that is no longer in the plans doesn’t walk for nothing.