Lions players congratulate former teammate Kyle Van Noy on Super Bowl win

The New England Patriots won Super Bowl 51 in miraculous fashion. A 25-point comeback crushed the previous Super Bowl record of 10 points, and right in the middle of all the drama was former Detroit Lions linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy was traded from the Lions to the Patriots in late October, and since then, his career has completely turned around. In just seven weeks of regular season play, Van Noy nearly doubled his career stats and even notched his first career interception.

Now his career has culminated in a Super Bowl win. Van Noy, himself, only had a modest game. He only managed one tackle and 0.5 sacks during the entire game, but he got to kiss the Lombardi Trophy all the same.

Of course, over his two and a half years in Detroit, Van Noy developed some lifelong friendships with players who understand that football is a business. Several of those teammates reached out to Van Noy after the Super Bowl to congratulate the young linebacker on the Super Bowl win.

Any words from you, Mr. Van Noy?

While it’s sad Van Noy didn’t work out in Detroit, we’re happy he got his ring and we wish him the best in the future. Enjoy it, Kyle! And if you ever want to bring the Lombardi back to Detroit to show it around for a little, we wouldn’t mind.