Kyle Van Noy began his season fighting for a roster spot with the Detroit Lions. He ended it holding the Vince Lombardi trophy.
It’s been quite a year for the now-former Lions linebacker. Detroit’s second-round pick in 2014, he entered 2016 searching for a role with the Lions. Part of his career had been limited by injuries and the rest by ineffectiveness with Detroit.
He would occasionally show flashes of being a productive player -- the Lions took him because of his ability to force turnovers and rush the passer -- but not with any level of consistency. He missed half of his rookie season with a sports hernia and was mostly a reserve in 2015.
Then in 2016 he made the Lions and was actually starting, but couldn’t find a niche. So the Lions traded him in October to New England for a sixth-round pick.
"It was a rough two-and-a-half years and it’s all for a reason," Van Noy told reporters after winning Super Bowl LI. "And this is part of it. This is just the beginning. I’m only in Year 3 and I’m just so happy. That’s all I can say, I’m just so blessed."
He found a specific role in New England, a sub-package linebacker who rushes the passer. It led to a half-sack in New England's 34-28 win against Atlanta and a celebration he likely couldn’t have imagined four months ago when he was still with the Lions.
It was a trade that ended up landing him with the most successful franchise in the NFL, participating in more postseason wins (three), Super Bowl appearances (one) and Super Bowl wins (one) than the Lions have had since the AFL-NFL merger.
Van Noy played 30 games with Detroit, starting seven. Then he played in seven regular-season games for the Patriots and three postseason contests. In his career, the 26-year-old has 68 tackles.
And more important, he now has three playoff wins -- and one Super Bowl championship.
Van Noy wasn’t the only former Lions player to pick up a Super Bowl win, either. Former Detroit offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle was also on the 53-man roster for New England, and Chase Farris was on the team’s practice squad this year.