Kansas City Chiefs: Still No 5th Year Option For Dee Ford

The Kansas City Chiefs have not used the fifth year option on Dee Ford yet. Is there a reason why?

The 2017 NFL Draft takes place tonight, and there is still one Kansas City Chiefs storyline sitting out there. The Chiefs have yet to use the fifth year option on 2014 first round pick Dee Ford. With the young pass rusher coming off a 10 sack season, there is some question why.

Around the NFL, teams are exercising their options on the class of 2014. However, the Chiefs have remained silent on that front. With the draft now here, it would seem like this is the kind of move that should be done.

Of course, the Chiefs do have until May 3rd to make their decision. That’s less than a week away, but it’s a move that takes not time at all to make. So there is no real hurry. It’s just strange that no decision has been made yet.

There are two reasons that stand out in my mind…

A New Contract

With Dee Ford coming off of a 10 sack season, the Kansas City Chiefs may simply believe they have seen enough. If that is the case, then the team working on a new contract with Ford makes a ton of sense. Signing him now before a potential breakout season would save a lot of money.

However, given the amount of attention that front offices are receiving right now, it would be expected that some rumor had leaked out. Instead, it has been all quiet on that front. In fact, the only thing John Dorsey has said about pass rushers in general is how strong this draft class is.

Related Story: Kansas City Chiefs Could Trade Out Of 1st Round

A Trade Could Be Coming

Going in line with that statement from John Dorsey, the Chiefs have shown a good deal of interest in pass rushers in this draft. Kansas City had a pretty disappointing year in terms of getting after the passer in 2016. It could be that a shake up is coming.

While Dee Ford’s 10 sack season is worth noting, it has to be pointed out that outside a five game stretch, he’s been disappointing overall. In fact, when Justin Houston returned to the field for KC, Ford seemed to disappear. That is pretty disconcerting.

If the Chiefs are looking to make a change in the pass rush, then it would make sense to not use the fifth year option on Ford. Kansas City could get some pretty good trade value out of a former first round pick with a 10 sack season. According to Joel Corry, a team trading for Ford would have the ability to use that fifth year option themselves. Added value.

Maybe It’s Nothing

Of course, the simplest answer here is that there is nothing to see. John Dorsey is a pretty busy guy, and has a lot on his plate right now. It could be that using the fifth year option is simply on his list of things to do after the draft. I mean, why worry about it now?

However, if I’m reading tea leaves on this, the Chiefs interest in pass rushers in the draft, plus a bad year getting after the quarterback, and no fifth year option yet…that’s shaping up like a big move coming.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Next: Kansas City Chiefs Draft Board: Final Version

The Kansas City Chiefs have flourished under the personnel decisions of John Dorsey these past few years. By now, he has earned the trust of the majority of Chiefs Kingdom. One thing we know for sure is that Dorsey doesn’t operate without a plan. The hard part is just figuring what that plan is.