Two former Utah college standouts are still on the board as NFL teams head into training camp, and both carry the kind of résumé that usually gets attention fast.
Bobby Wagner and Kyle Van Noy, each a Super Bowl winner and each a familiar name to Utah football fans, were both listed by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox among the top 10 available free agents going into camp. Neither linebacker has landed with a team yet, but Knox made the case that both remain strong fits somewhere in the league.
Wagner, the former Utah State linebacker, is 36 and coming off two seasons with the Washington Commanders. Before that, he spent all but one of his 14 NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl in 2014.
His production has been steady in a way that borders on absurd: he has topped 100 tackles in every NFL season of his career and has earned first-team All-Pro honors six times. Last season for Washington, he posted 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and two interceptions.
“It always feels like there’s at least one NFL star who can successfully stiff-arm Father Time until he’s finally ready to call it a career. We’re used to it being quarterbacks, but linebacker Bobby Wagner, who turned 36 last month, has shown no signs of slowing down,” Knox wrote.
“... Is Wagner the same perennial Pro Bowler he was for most of his career? Perhaps not, but the reigning Walter Payton Man of the Year is still an exemplary leader and an above-average starter.”
Knox pointed to the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars as possible landing spots for Wagner, noting that a team with playoff-level talent and a need for both experience and production on defense would make the most sense.
Van Noy, meanwhile, is 35 and spent the last three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens after joining them less than a month into the 2023 regular season. Over a 12-year NFL career, he has played for five teams and won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
His most productive stretch as a pass rusher came two years ago, when he finished the 2024 campaign with 12.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Knox highlighted how Van Noy’s role has shifted over the years, from a more all-purpose linebacker in New England to a more specialized edge presence in Baltimore.
“Veteran defender Kyle Van Noy has always been a bit flexible during his 12-year NFL career. He was largely an all-around linebacker during his time with the Patriots, and he’s been more of a pass-rush specialist over the last three seasons with the Ravens,” Knox wrote.
“In three seasons with Baltimore, Van Noy recorded 23.5 sacks and 54 quarterback pressures.”
Knox listed the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings as potential fits for Van Noy. He also noted that Van Noy has said he would love to land with the 49ers, which would put him alongside another former Cougar great, linebacker Fred Warner.
“Because of his experience and positional versatility, Van Noy could fit with a number of defenses as a free agent. However, he’s made it known that he’d love to land with the 49ers,” Knox wrote.
“San Francisco would be a sensible fit for Van Noy, given the fact that Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are both returning from injuries,” Knox wrote. “So would just about any team or coach familiar with Van Noy and what he can add as a multi-faceted veteran leader.”
There are also several other players with Utah ties still in free agency. The list includes Bradlee Anae, Braeden Daniels, Michael Davis, Taysom Hill, Ja’Quinden Jackson, Kyrese Rowan, Sione Takitaki, Deven Thompkins and Marcus Williams, along with Wagner and Van Noy. Those players spent all or part of the 2025 season on an NFL roster before becoming free agents.
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Utah Is Giving Eric Weddle A Place Among Program Legends
Eric Weddle is headed into another exclusive club at Utah, with the former All-American safety named the 2026 inductee into the Utah Football Ring of Honor. The program will celebrate him at its home game against Arkansas on Sept. 12, adding another layer to a career that already includes a place in the College Football Hall of Fame and the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame.
Weddle now becomes the fourth name in the Ring of Honor, joining Alex Smith, Ron McBride and Roy Jefferson. It is the kind of recognition that fits a player who meant so much to the Utes on the field and later carried that legacy into a 14-year NFL career, with his name also set to be displayed at Rice-Eccles Stadium. [Read more 🡒]