Van Noy saw 'writing on the wall' for Brady's departure

Kyle Van Noy wasn't totally caught off guard when Tom Brady announced his exit from the New England Patriots.

"I was just like everybody else: I was shocked a little bit, but I felt like I could see the writing on the wall with just how things went and just how things played out," the veteran linebacker said Thursday, according to NESN's Zack Cox. "I wish he was a lifer in New England because I think that would have been a really cool story. But I'm happy for him. He got what he wanted, a $50-million contract guaranteed. That is amazing. It doesn't matter how much money you've earned, that's still a bunch of money."

Brady spent two decades with the Patriots, winning six Super Bowls before walking out the door. His status with New England had been speculated upon for months before he left.

Van Noy, who was teammates with Brady for three-plus seasons, also left the Patriots in free agency, inking a four-year, $51-million deal with the Miami Dolphins.

"I would say the writing on the wall was on getting a deal before free agency," he said of Brady. "That to me was, 'OK, it doesn't look like he's going to stay.' You would think with him being there that long, it would have got done. But who knows? I don't know how he's done stuff in the past, but for me, that was 'Oh, man. This is gonna get real.'"

Van Noy was a part of two Super Bowl teams with the Patriots.

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