Kansas City Chiefs: Four options for Dee Ford this offseason
By Cullen Jekel
Option #3: Franchise Tag Ford, Then Trade Him
The third option would be to apply the Franchise Tag to Ford and then trade him.
By doing this, not only would the team save money in the long-run, but it would also gain future assets, most likely in the form of draft picks. Sure, the Chiefs would lose Ford’s production, but Veach, Reid, and Spagnuolo would then be able to handpick his replacement.
Plus, the Chiefs have done this in the past, and with a pass-rusher: Jared Allen. Back in 2008, the Chiefs tagged Allen before moving him to the Vikings in a deal that netted them a first-round draft pick plus two third-round draft picks while the teams swapped sixth-round picks. That first-rounder was number 17 overall.
And while that trade happened over a decade ago, it’s interesting to note that the team that holds the number 17 pick in the 2019 draft is one with loads of cap space, a need for another pass-rusher, and the general manager who drafted Ford back in 2014: the Cleveland Browns.
Another team to watch in this scenario: the Green Bay Packers, who hold two first-round draft picks, number 12 and number 30.