Kyle Van Noy may not have been a New England Patriot for as long as Tom Brady, but he certainly understood the four-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback’s decision to leave and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” on Thursday, Van Noy, who left the Patriots as a free agent this offseason to sign with the Miami Dolphins, admitted he was shocked but said he could see “the writing on the wall” considering how things played out between Brady and Patriots brass.
The 29-year-old linebacker can relate, having told NFL.com earlier in March that he was hoping to “be a priority for a team.”
“I wish he was a lifer in New England because I think that would have been a really cool story,” he added. “But I’m happy for him. He got what he wanted, a $50 million contract guaranteed. That is amazing. It doesn’t matter how much money you’ve earned — that’s still a bunch of money.”
Van Noy, like Brady, was a free agent for the first time in his NFL career when he inked a four-year, $51 million contract with the Dolphins last week. Brady got a two-year, fully guaranteed $50 million deal from the Bucs after the Patriots failed to re-sign him before the start of free agency.
“I would say the writing on the wall was (not) getting a deal before free agency,” Van Noy said. “That to me was, ‘OK, it doesn’t look like he’s going to stay.’
“You would think with him being there that long, it would have gotten done. But who knows? I don’t know how he’s done stuff in the past, but for me, that was, ‘Oh, man. This is gonna get real.’ ”
ESPN reported that an increasingly strained relationship between Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft ultimately led to the trio’s demise. Though Brady always made it clear he intended to play into his mid-40s, the Patriots were not willing to commit to him long-term.
When Devin McCourty was asked about Brady’s and Belichick’s relationship on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Thursday, the 10-year Patriots safety said he didn’t think anyone could understand it.
“I think their relationship is unique and I think it’s their relationship,” said McCourty, who signed a two-year, $23 million extension with New England earlier in March. “I don’t think anyone knows how their relationship is, it’s 20 years of greatness, 20 years of great moments, sad moments, it’s up and down.
“But I’ll tell you one thing: I’ve had an unbelievable opportunity for nine years…learning from the two of them in terms of leadership,” he continued. “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from them is just preparation. To hear them two go back and forth and talk about a game plan, what they thought could be coming from an offensive standpoint, a defensive standpoint, overall, us as a team. I learned a lot and understand football a lot differently because I was able to sit in a room with those two.”
