Bill Belichick has made some historic trades in his day, finding value on other team’s depth charts and turning that value into an impact player.
And not many trades have made a bigger impact on the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victory in 2019 than the acquisition of Kyle Van Noy from the Detroit Lions in 2016.
Van Noy, who was selected 40th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft by Detroit, was moved to the Patriots for a sixth-round pick after making just seven starts in 30 games for the Lions. He has started 30 of the 36 regular-season games he has played in for New England, and has won two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. Meanwhile, the Lions have gone 24-24 over the past three seasons and have made the playoffs just once, losing in the NFC Wild Card Round in 2016.
Appearing on the “Pardon My Take” podcast on Thursday, Van Noy perfectly summed up what it was like going from Detroit to New England in 2016.
“I’m gonna repeat what my friend said so I don’t get in trouble,” Van Noy said. “He’s like, ‘You went from the toilet bowl to the Super Bowl.'”
He went on to say how things fell into place in New England so easily.
“Then when I got there, it was like, they had a plan for me it seemed like. Then that plan got bigger with how I played,” Van Noy said. “With that being said, I didn’t know that to begin with because I’d been in Detroit, where I was kind of told ‘We don’t know where to put you.’ And I’m like, ‘Why did you draft me?’ I had my own coach telling me ‘I don’t know where to put you.'”
Van Noy’s acquisition obviously was a big one for the Patriots, as the linebacker has become a big part of the defense and a favorite among fans. But it also was big jump for Van Noy personally. There is no telling how his career would have played out if he remained in Detroit.
