Kyle Van Noy might've known about his looming Patriots release a few days before the rest of us found out.
New England on Monday officially parted ways with the veteran linebacker, immediately making Van Noy free to sign with any team. The move freed up $4.94 million in salary cap space while leaving behind a $2.45 million dead cap hit. Van Noy, who played in New England from 2016 through 2019, rejoined the Patriots last season after spending 2020 with the Miami Dolphins.
Van Noy on Saturday retweeted a tweet from Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu, who is set to become a free agent next week. In hindsight, the Twitter activity indicates Van Noy over the weekend might've learned about the Patriots' plans.
"Replacing me is easy," Mathieu wrote. "Getting them to do the same thing I did is damn near impossible."
The question isn't whether Van Noy will be hard for the Patriots to replace. He will be. The 30-year-old is a good, smart football player, one who fits well in Bill Belichick's defensive scheme and played a key role on two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Van Noy played 75.1% of New England's defensive snaps in 2021, finishing with 66 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. He was one of the most consistently impactful members of the Patriots front seven.
But Van Noy would've carried a 2022 cap hit of just under $7.4 million. Is the difference between what he provides and what a potential cheaper replacement, like Josh Uche, provides worth that much money? That's a tough call, but it's clear how the Patriots feel. That said, there's nothing preventing Van Noy from returning to New England in free agency on a more team-friendly deal.
The Patriots now project to have just over $9.5 million in salary cap space, per gap guru Miguel Benzan. Fellow linebackers Jamie Collins, Dont'a Hightower and Ja'Whaun Bentley are set to become free agents next week.
