After a bittersweet conclusion to his time in New England, linebacker Kyle Van Noy is ready to make his mark with a new team.
"I'll always be a Patriot. There's no denying that," Van Noy on the Pat McAfee Show. "But I'm definitely a Charger and I hope to be putting a Charger symbol right up to the Patriots because I want to be remembered as both."
After being released by New England in March, Van Noy has now found his home with the Los Angeles Chargers, with whom he signed on Thursday after a visit. And while this marks this end of his time on the East Coast, Van Noy said he's ready to bring his Super Bowl experience to another organization that is in pursuit of a championship.
"I think it's going to be a match made in heaven," he said. "I'm going to do everything I can to bring that championship pedigree to that team. That's something that is within me, and I'm a winner, and that's what I want to bring."
Van Noy started his career in Detroit, but found success with New England after being traded during the 2016 season. With Van Noy a part of Bill Belichick's defense, the Patriots made appearances in three Super Bowls in a row, winning it all in 2016 and 2018.
While Van Noy was an important contributor to the defense during his first stint in New England, an opportunity in free agency led to his first exit. Signing a four-year, $51 million deal with the Dolphins ahead of the 2020 season, Van Noy was in Miami for only one season following his release, which led his journey back to New England for 2021. Following another release after only one year with the Patriots, Van Noy said that he hears a lot of speculation about whether he can still play at a high level. That doubt is what fueled his desire to join a team like the Chargers where his presence and experience could make a difference.
"Obviously the end is near, but I've still got enough juice. I've got a lot of juice left. I'm still hungry. I get up and I love proving my family right and I love proving haters wrong," Van Noy said. "I've got a chip on my shoulder, and I've got a lot to prove still. Everybody thinks I can't play outside of New England for some reason. I can't wait to prove all the people in my life right."
And now, Van Noy will be joining a Chargers team that just barely missed out on a playoff berth last season. That narrowly missed opportunity created extra motivation amongst all levels of the organization to win, something Van Noy said he could feel immediately as he visited the team, and made him want to join in.
"(The Chargers) do whatever it takes to be a championship organization, you can tell that as soon as you walk through the building," Van Noy said. "You just feel this sense of urgency, and everybody's hungry to win, and that's how they want it.
"They want to win, and they're doing whatever it takes to win."
