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The Patriots are gearing up for the new league season.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, New England is bringing in veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy. The move will create just under $5 million in free space, doubling the Patriots’ available funds.
Van Noy has been a big part of the New England defense in 2021, returning to the club after a year in Miami. He appeared in 16 games for the Patriots, starting in eight of them. And he played 81 percent of the team’s snaps defensively, recording 66 tackles, 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and 10 defensive passes.
Van Noy previously spent four seasons with the Patriots, joining in 2016 on a trade. He signed a four-year contract with Miami in 2020 but was released last March, just a year after that contract ended. He then re-signed with the Patriots to a two-year contract worth up to $13.2 million.
As a released veteran, Van Noy could immediately sign a new contract with the team, with the advantage of unrestricted free agents, which will become available later this month. Van Noy will also not be counted in the compensatory selection formula.