At 35 years old, veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy is certainly beyond his prime and is approaching the twilight of his career.
But the still-available free agent wants to keep playing. And, preferably, with the San Francisco 49ers.
Van Noy recently spoke with Kay Adams of the Up & Adams Show, and he didn't mince words when asked about preferred destinations entering his 13th NFL season.
"I would really like to play with my little brother, Fred Warner with the Niners," Van Noy said.
Kyle Van Noy in the Bay Area?
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 5, 2026
He just told us "I would really like to play with my little brother Fred Warner with the Niners." 👀@KVN_03 | @49ers | @fred_warner
For those thinking Van Noy is tossing some subtle shade in Warner's direction, think again. The two are BYU alumni and have a connection there, so it's certainly no sign of disrespect.
That said, would San Francisco entertain signing Van Noy at this stage of his career?
Kyle Van Noy has plenty of obstacles in the way of joining Fred Warner, 49ers
True, Van Noy is just two seasons removed from a Pro Bowl campaign with the Baltimore Ravens in which he notched a career-best 12.5 sacks, although that hasn't been his traditional role.
While age is certainly a factor, it's highly unlikely the 49ers would even consider inking another veteran backer to occupy a spot on the depth chart behind Warner. Earlier this offseason, they re-signed Warner's former teammate, Dre Greenlaw, which made fellow linebacker Dee Winters an expendable commodity.
Winters was subsequently dealt off to the Dallas Cowboys in an in-draft trade.
With names like Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune, Nick Martin and rookie Jaden Duggar all looking to carve out niche roles behind Warner and Greenlaw, it's hard to envision a need for someone like Van Noy.
That said, last season and the year prior, the Niners endured all kinds of injury attrition at the position, so it's certainly feasible Van Noy's number could be stored in general manager John Lynch's phone as an emergency in-season contingency plan.
Van Noy probably wouldn't mind a call sooner, though.
