For a few months this year, it seemed like veteran Kyle Van Noy could be on his way to the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, the veteran linebacker is headed to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Ringer's Tom Pelissero reported that Van Noy is signing with the Vikings, reuniting him with defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Veteran OLB Kyle Van Noy is signing with the Vikings, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 2, 2026
Van Noy and DC Brian Flores won two Super Bowls together with the Patriots. Now they’re teaming up in Minnesota, where Van Noy will start on the practice squad to ramp up. pic.twitter.com/VPyL4aosTD
The move eliminates a potential pickup for the 49ers' pass-rushing group and closes the book on months of speculation linking Van Noy to the 49ers.
Back
in May, the 12-year veteran told FanDuel TV's Kay Adams he'd "really like to play" alongside fellow BYU alum Fred Warner, calling San Francisco a team with "something cooking." In July, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox went further, naming the 49ers the best landing spot for Van Noy among top defensive free agents and citing San Francisco's thin edge depth as a playoff contender.
That depth concern hasn't gone away. San Francisco finished last in the NFL in sacks (20) and 31st in pressures (157) in 2025, and its top two edge rushers are both working back from torn ACLs. Nick Bosa avoided the phyiscally unable to perform (PUP) list to start camp and has been doing individual and side work, but wasn't yet a full participant in team or one-on-one drills as of last week. Mykel Williams, the team's 2025 first-round pick who tore his ACL in Week 9 last season, wasn't as fortunate — he's been placed on reserve/PUP and will miss at least the first four games.
The 49ers used a third-round pick on edge rusher Romello Height and traded for interior lineman Osa Odighizuwa, while adding Gracen Halton in the draft as well. All three are expected to contribute, but with Bosa and Williams both sidelined to open the year, the preseason and early September will be the proving ground for the rest of San Francisco's front to step up.
Van Noy, 35, was hardly a lock to fix that problem even if he had signed. He played just 50% of Baltimore's defensive snaps in 2025 — his lowest share since 2015 — and recorded only two sacks after posting a career-best 12.5 the year before. Still, with the 49ers' pass rush already stretched thin to start the season, the swing-and-miss on a veteran with 57 career sacks and a personal relationship with Warner is one worth noting.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Veteran pass rusher linked to 49ers signs with Vikings
