Being traded during the NFL season can mean a sudden change of team, travel plans and living arrangements. Vikings linebacker Kyle Van Noy recently described what happened when the Detroit Lions sent him to the New England Patriots in 2016.
Van Noy said the Lions’ general manager called to tell him he’d been traded, but didn’t say where he was going until near the end of the conversation. The Patriots then contacted him and arranged a flight as quickly as possible.
The acquiring team typically wants a player to arrive promptly for a physical, Van Noy explained. That step can matter: during the offseason, the Baltimore Ravens withdrew from an agreed trade for Maxx Crosby after concerns about his physical.
Teams may also help with some of the practical costs. Van Noy recalled that his team paid for movers and the shipping of his car, as well as roughly 10 days to two weeks in a hotel while he looked for a place to live.
Other housing costs, though, were his responsibility. Players who own a home may need to arrange a sale, he said, while those renting could still owe rent on their previous place even after leaving.
Van Noy hasn’t been traded midseason since 2016, so he acknowledged that some details may have changed. Still, he thinks the process is probably much the same.
Now in his 13th NFL season, Van Noy is playing for his sixth team and is in his first season with Minnesota. He spent two and a half seasons with Detroit before moving to New England, where he played for three and a half seasons. He later had a season with the Miami Dolphins, returned to the Patriots, spent a year with the Los Angeles Chargers and then played three seasons with the Ravens.
Through eight games with the Vikings, Van Noy has recorded 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
