Free agent linebacker Kyle Van Noy has publicly declared his intentions to play for the San Francisco 49ers as he sits in free agency at 35, watching the market move without him. The 49ers won 5 Super Bowls during their dominant era between 1981 and 1994. They won Super Bowl XVI by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21, Super Bowl XIX by defeating the Miami Dolphins 38-16, Super Bowl XXIII by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16, Super Bowl XXIV by defeating the Denver Broncos 55-10, and Super Bowl XXIX by defeating the San Diego Chargers 49-26. And he’s not chasing Super Bowl dominance, but a chance to play with a familiar name in the building.

“I really like to play with my little brother, Fred Warner with the Niners,” Van Noy said on the Up and Adams Show. “I think they got something cooking over there.”

Warner and Van Noy are both BYU products, and their bond goes deeper than it looks on the surface. Warner has publicly credited Van Noy for shaping him into a film-room obsessive early in his career, calling him the person who helped him become so studious when Warner was still a rookie with the 49ers.

“He was a big film junkie. That’s where I really learned to study the game,” shared Warner ahead of Super Bowl LIV. Van Noy’s pitch is a reunion that is personal first, football second.

The Seattle Seahawks had been on the table too, however briefly. Van Noy confirmed on the show that the Seahawks had reached out. He told them what he was looking for, and they told him, “We’re not there yet.” Then, Seattle signed Dante Fowler, whom Van Noy noted their defensive coordinator already had history with from Dallas. 

Meanwhile, San Francisco finished 12-5 last season. Their defense is anchored by Warner, who posted a 93.2 PFF grade in 2025 – first among all 88 qualified linebackers. But the edge rusher room is where it gets complicated. Nick Bosa is the franchise’s premier pass rusher, and his brother Joey Bosa is a free agent the Niners have real interest in. Adding Van Noy means working around an existing family dynamic in the same position group, and Van Noy brought it up himself.

“I know they love Joey Bosa, because Nick and all that,” Van Noy said. “I get that, but I would love to play with my little brother. That’s my guy, and I think they got something cooking over there.”

When Kay Adams pushed him on whether he’d spoken to the 49ers, Van Noy didn’t reveal much. “I’m not going to go into those details,” he said. 

Now, the 49ers are the preferred destination, but the market clearly hasn’t delivered. Kyle Van Noy knows the process is dragging – Adams called him out on it directly on the show, and he didn’t argue. But for a player with his resume, his name is already being linked to other teams. 

What Kyle Van Noy can bring to the Steelers?

Van Noy’s 2025 season with the Baltimore Ravens was quite the step back. He just logged 2.0 sacks – his lowest sack total since 2016. But his first two years at Baltimore produced 21.5 combined sacks, including nine in 2023 – second highest of his career – a season he described on the show as coming “straight off the couch” after missing time. Across 12 seasons, he has logged 57 career sacks. The production is real, even if the 2025 numbers made Baltimore hesitant to bring him back.

That is exactly what NFL analyst Ryan Wilson considered when suggesting Kyle Van Noy would pair well with the black and gold. During the 2026 NFL Draft, GM Omar Khan added some names to the roster, filled significant gaps, and yet Ryan believes that the edge rusher room still needs some depth that Van Noy can fill, all thanks to his versatility.

“They don’t have a ton of depth at edge rusher,” Ryan Wilson said on CBS Sports HQ. “They do have TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. After that, Nick Herbig, who’s on the last year of his rookie deal, and then Jack Sawyer, who they got on Day 3 last year who’s a good player, not great yet.”

TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith are a powerful duo in Pittsburgh, and Nick Herbig is a proven backup. Then, we have Jack Sawyer, who just signed with the team last season. Should the team face an injury crisis or need someone to mentor second-year Sawyer, they can trust Van Noy with the responsibilities.

“I think Kyle Van Noy adds versatility in that he can play off the edge, even though he’s 35, [and] he can play off-ball linebacker.”

Additionally, Kyle Van Noy has two Super Bowl rings from his time with the New England Patriots, LI and LII. He knows what a winning operation looks like.

The veteran who took Warner under his wing in a film room all those years ago is now pitching himself to play in Warner’s backyard. And to make that happen, all San Francisco needs to do is pick up the phone.