Dolphins Release Linebacker Kyle Van Noy in a Shocking Move

By: Jason Sarney

It can be said that the Miami Dolphins offseason officially kicked off with a huge bang on Tuesday afternoon, as reports broke that Kyle Van Noy and the team have parted ways.

With news coming from several media outlets that Van Noy had been released from the Dolphins, what we're still all trying to figure out are the details behind it. There is still limited clarity on the specifics of whether or not Van Noy was approached or not for a restructuring of a contract; he had just finished his first season in Miami after signing a multiyear deal in 2020.

Dolphins LB Kyle Van Noy is a potential cap casualty who could be released before league year begins, source tells ESPN.

Talks are ongoing about releasing Van Noy in the coming days, a move that'd save Miami $9.75M in cap space. Andrew Van Ginkel would move into larger role.

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) March 2, 2021

The news was initially reported by ESPN Reporter Cameron Wolfe, and in the minutes following, more news broke. It is now stated that the Dolphins did not approach Van Noy for a renegotiation, per Barry Jackson.

Per source with direct knowledge, Dolphins never broached the idea of a contract restructure with Van Noy. Simply wanted to move on and save cap space. Ended up paying him $15 M for one year of work.

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) March 2, 2021

Whether or not the Dolphins tried to move Van Noy via trade initially is still a matter of some conjecture, but what seems certain is that the Dolphins will no longer be the football home for the popular linebacker.  Van Noy himself issued a Tweet that was sent via Mike Garafolo's Twitter account.

The #Dolphins have informed LB Kyle Van Noy he will be released, source says. @CameronWolfe indicated this might be coming. It's confirmed.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 2, 2021

Van Noy did have a very solid singular season for the Dolphins which was his third team in his eight NFL years. He  finished the season with 6 sacks 69 total tackles 10 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles along with 2 fumble recoveries.

With young 5th round draft pick from 2019, Andrew Van Ginkel coming off a very good 2nd year, perhaps this was a move the Dolphins brass thought was necessary to trim cap, and take advantage of players exceeding value and expectation. The Dolphins also could bring back the injured Vince Biegel to add to their linebacking depth.

Draft aficionados are now studying college linebacking prospects a bit more this afternoon.

The speculation now turns to the possibility that this is a precursory move to another (or several other) larger move(s) coming up, as NFL free agency will hit full throttle in the middle of March. There is about a week to go until teams can finalize and designate their franchise players on March 9th, so fans are heading for a roller coaster ride unlike any in perhaps two decades in this sport.

As for Miami, the only thing that is certain is that more surprises are likely on the way.