SALT LAKE CITY — Kyle Van Noy is about to get paid handsomely.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday evening that Van Noy is signing a four-year, $51 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. That includes $30 million guaranteed, according to Rapoport.
The former BYU linebacker is headed into the new NFL league year — which begins at 2 p.m. MDT Wednesday — as an unrestricted free agent, and Van Noy is cashing in after thriving the past four seasons with the New England Patriots. The league’s legal “tampering” period opened at 10 a.m. MDT Monday, allowing clubs to begin negotiating with players and their agents ahead of Wednesday, when those deals can become official.
Van Noy showed his excitement for the news on social media not along after, posting six smiley faces wearing sunglasses along with the @MiamiDolphins handle on Twitter. Just two minutes later, he shared his thanks for his time in New England, tweeting, “Thank you NE!! Forever grateful!! Legendary!!!”
In Miami, Van Noy joins his former position coach in New England, Brian Flores, who’s headed into his second year as the Dolphins’ head coach. He’ll also team up again with former Utah defensive back Eric Rowe, who was his teammate in New England before Rowe signed with Miami last offseason.
In addition to Van Noy, there are a handful of other locals to watch for during free agency, as 25 Utah ties will be going through the free-agency process. That includes 16 unrestricted free agents, two restricted free agents and seven exclusive rights free agents.
Spotrac, which tracks pro sports contracts, calculated that the six-year pro had a market value of $8.3 million annually and projected a three-year, $25 million deal for Van Noy. From the salary figures reported by Rapoport, though, Van Noy’s stock far exceeded those market value numbers and he will bring home a signifiant pay raise. In his last contract, a two-year deal, Van Noy earned $11.7 million overall with $5.5 million guaranteed and $4.25 million in base salary last year, per Spotrac.
Van Noy was looking to be a priority for whoever signed him in free agency.
“I don’t think my mindset is going to change at all, as far as the player I am and my goals each and every year. It’s always to get better, always to be a leader on the team, and to be disruptive,” Van Noy told Rapoport during a segment on the RapSheet + Friends podcast posted online Monday morning. “Hopefully now it’s also to set up my family and be with the team, or go back to the team, that views me as a priority.”
Van Noy had 56 tackles and a career-best 6.5 sacks to go with three forced fumbles and three pass deflections for New England last season, one year after he tallied a career-high 92 tackles and 3.5 sacks during the Patriots’ last Super Bowl winning season. Spotrac lists Van Noy No. 39 among the top 50 in this year’s free-agency class, saying “Van Noy settled into a legitimate pass rushing role in NE, and didn’t disappoint.”
In recent weeks, the former Cougar standout had been linked to numerous teams, including returning to the Patriots, where he’s won two Super Bowl rings, the New York Giants and Miami, as well as a potential return to where Van Noy started his NFL career, with the Detroit Lions. On Monday before the Dolphins news, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reported the New York Jets were “in discussions” with Van Noy.
“I just want to go where I’m wanted,” Van Noy told Rapoport. “I’ve worked really hard to get to this opportunity. There are so many players who don’t get this opportunity, and I’m just looking to maximize it the best I can. And enjoy the process; there are a lot of things that go on, and I’m excited for it.”
“I just want to go where I’m wanted. I’ve worked really hard to get to this opportunity. There are so many players who don’t get this opportunity, and I’m just looking to maximize it the best I can. And enjoy the process; there are a lot of things that go on, and I’m excited for it.” — Kyle Van Noy
Nick Vigil and Kyler Fackrell, two former Utah State standout linebackers, will also be testing the unrestricted waters. Vigil, a Fremont High product, started 37 games for Cincinnati over the past three years, with his best season coming last year when he had 111 tackles, five pass deflections and an interception while starting all 16 games for the Bengals. Fackrell was mostly a reserve and special-teamer for Green Bay in 2019, with 23 tackles and a sack, though he showed his potential in 2018 when he had a team-high 10 sacks for the Packers.
Former Utah running back Devontae Booker, too, is an unrestricted free agent after spending his first four seasons in Denver and will be seeking a fresh start in the league. He fell down the depth chart in the Broncos’ backfield after the team picked up fellow backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, and has seen his rushing numbers dip every season as a pro. Last year, he had just two carries for 9 yards.
BYU’s Ezekiel Ansah is also back on the market, after signing a one-year deal with Seattle last season, then putting up just 18 tackles and two forced fumbles with the Seahawks in 11 games. The one-time top-5 draft pick, named a Pro Bowler in 2015, signed a $9 million contract last year with Seattle, per Spotrac, though he should command significantly less this offseason.
In restricted free agency, former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill has been the subject of plenty of headlines the past two months. On Monday, Charles Robinson of Yahoo reported the Saints officially placed a first-round tender on Hill, who turns 30 in August and is seen by some to be the heir apparent to All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees in New Orleans. The tender is worth $4.667 million, according to Over the Cap.
What that means is if Hill — who’s become a jack-of-all trades on offense and special teams for the Saints — is signed away by another team, New Orleans will receive a first-round draft pick in return. The Saints, though, would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Hill receives.
Former Utah wide receiver Tim Patrick is also headed into restricted free agency, with Denver, where he’s spent the past two seasons. He’s started six games in two years for the Broncos and had 16 receptions for 218 yards last year.
Former BYU cornerback Michael Davis is the most intriguing of the seven Utah ties who will be an exclusive rights free agent, which is any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. According to the league regarding exclusive rights free agents, “If his original team offers him a one-year contract and the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.”
Davis, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, has turned into a regular contributor in the Los Angeles Chargers secondary. Over the past two seasons, he started 21 games and had 89 tackles, 17 pass deflections and two interceptions.
Unrestricted free agents
Name, Pos., 2019 NFL team (Local connection)
Maurice Alexander, LB, Buffalo Bills (Utah State)
Patrick Scales, LS, Chicago Bears (Utah State and Weber High)
Nick Vigil, OLB, Cincinnati Bengals (Utah State and Fremont High)
Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, Dallas Cowboys (Timpview High)
Devontae Booker, RB, Denver Broncos (Utah)
Miles Killebrew, S, Detroit Lions (Southern Utah)
Kyler Fackrell, OLB, Green Bay Packers (Utah State)
Jordan Devey, OL, Las Vegas Raiders (Snow College and American Fork High)
JoJo Natson, WR/Ret., Los Angeles Rams (Utah State)
Kyle Van Noy, ILB, New England Patriots (BYU)
Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Seattle Seahawks (BYU)
Robert Turbin, RB, Seattle Seahawks (Utah State)
LeShaun Sims, CB, Tennessee Titans (Southern Utah)
Donald Penn, OT, Washington Redskins (Utah State)
Tony Bergstrom, OL, Washington Redskins (Utah and Skyline High)
Nate Orchard, DE, Washington Redskins (Utah and Highland High)
Restricted free agents
Name, Pos., 2019 NFL team (Local connection)
Tim Patrick, WR, Denver Broncos (Utah)
Taysom Hill, QB, New Orleans Saints (BYU)
Exclusive rights free agents
Name, Pos., 2019 NFL team (Local connection)
Fish Smithson, CB, Baltimore Ravens (Highland High)
Kai Nacua, S, Indianapolis Colts (BYU)
Devante Mays, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (Utah State)
Marcus Kemp, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Layton High)
Dallin Leavitt, S, Las Vegas Raiders (BYU and Utah State)
Michael Davis, CB, Los Angeles Chargers (BYU)
Bryan Mone, DT, Seattle Seahawks (Highland High)