New England Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy has made roughly $9 million in his seven years in the NFL. It’s not crazy to think, on a new deal, he will make that much in 2020 alone.
After a handful of strong seasons as an edge defender in New England’s system, Van Noy is in line for a big payday. He’s 28 years old, and may want to cash in on a deal which sets up his family. In 2018, he proved his could own the middle of the field with 92 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In 2019, he moved into a more versatile and physically challenging role with 56 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Because of that competence all over the defensive front — and his efficiency as a pass-rusher in limited number of rushers — Van Noy may find his asking price somewhere between $7 million and $9 million per year.
That would probably push the Patriots away from the negotiation table. And that should be OK with Van Noy, who has two rings Super Bowl rings but hasn’t quite gotten the lucrative deal he deserves. But that means Van Noy will have to get comfortable with the idea of joining the Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cleveland Browns, the Tennessee Titans or the Detroit Lions. Those teams either have a Patriots connection, money or both. They’re also not exactly proven winners at this point. But that’s often the tradeoff in free agency.
In the likely event Van Noy leaves, they will have to find a way to replace his 814 defensive snaps (81%) in 2019. To complicate the matter further, outside linebacker Jamie Collins is also set to enter free agency (though he seems more likely for a return). New England has John Simon and Chase Winovich, both of whom play a slightly different role than Van Noy. And then there’s Shilique Calhoun, a player who seemed ready to earn significant playing time in 2019, only to have injuries set him back.
Bill Belichick may have to do what he did to revitalize Van Noy’s career — the Patriots coach may have to get crafty to restock the outside linebacker position, because it’s typically an expensive job to fill in free agency.
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