ExtremeRavens Posted Thursday at 09:39 PM Posted Thursday at 09:39 PM Kyle Van Noy knows he isn’t LeBron James or Steph Curry. The 34-year-old Ravens linebacker won’t be playing as long as two of the NBA’s oldest superstars, ages 40 and 37, respectively. Van Noy’s career clock is ticking. But as far as he’s concerned, he can play as long as he wants to. “That’s my mindset,” he said, after Thursday’s training camp practice in Owings Mills. “I thought about it a lot this offseason. I’m just grateful to continue to play. My body’s still good and I can play at a high level.” Van Noy is coming off the most productive of his 11-year career. The one-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion led all Baltimore pass rushers with 12.5 sacks — the first double-digit sack season of his career, worthy of a Chuck Smith-branded hoodie. Baltimore has emboldened him as a pass rusher, he has said before, more than any of his four prior stops. Van Noy still believes he’s one of the best at the position in the league. He logged the fourth-most sacks in the NFL and his pass rush win rate (16%) last year was top 20. He also finished top 20 in quarterback hits (9) and total pressures (52), per Pro Football Focus. Still, PFF ranked him as the 30th best EDGE rusher entering 2025. Van Noy didn’t contemplate retirement this offseason. But there was some internal dialogue about the state of his career and current situation. It’s been an “interesting offseason,” he said. Van Noy was asked to clarify that adjective. “There’s just other situations where I feel I’m very valuable,” he said. “And some people think I’m more valuable than others.” This season is the last on Van Noy’s two-year, $9 million deal. He’s set to make $3.75 million in 2025, carrying a $6.1 million cap hit — by all accounts a bargain for Baltimore considering his 21 1/2 combined sacks the past two seasons. Van Noy is also the oldest pass rusher in a group that includes 26-year-old Odafe Oweh, who logged double-digit sacks last season and is also entering a contract year; Tavius Robinson, who has gotten rave reviews from his coaches about his development; and now rookie second-round pick Mike Green. But Van Noy said he’s grateful to be with his Ravens teammates. He wants to insert himself a bit more to help uplift the younger guys. And he would love to celebrate a win in February under confetti alongside his family. Van Noy told The Sun back in February that he knows he can still play at a high level. “It’s something where they have to make a decision, too,” referring to Ravens decision makers. General manager Eric DeCosta said during his end-of-season news conference that Van Noy “comes to work every day with a great attitude, he’s a leader, and he’s a fun storyline this year for us.” Ravens coach John Harbaugh sees no signs of slowing down from Van Noy. “Guys play until they can’t,” Harbaugh said. “He’s playing great. He’s still playing at a high level. So all these other narratives, the age narrative, it’s all nothing.” In March, Van Noy completed a 72-hour water fast. In other words, he only drank water for three days — no meals, no snacks, no other drinks. Just H2O. He wrote on X that he “ate real good” on vacation and needed the reset. UFC CEO Dana White was the inspiration, and he saw a few others online try it. Outside of some headaches, Van Noy said the water fast had him feeling brand new. He shed a handful of pounds. The chicken, caesar salad and vegetables after the three days helped get him back on track. Diet aside, the secret to playing at the level he has been able to the past two seasons, at his age, he said, is being “built different from a lot of kids these days” and “part of an old school cloth.” Van Noy has always considered himself a valuable asset, albeit an underrated one. ESPN did not include him in its top-10 EDGE rushers, nor was he one of four honorable mentions or among the seven who also received votes. He scoffs at that stuff. But it’s certainly fair to question whether he can repeat such a productive year entering the twilight of a long career. “The end is closer than the beginning, I know that. Everybody knows that,” Van Noy said. “But I can play as long as I want.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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