Kansas City Chiefs: Agreement in place to trade Dee Ford to 49ers
The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to trade Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers. The now former Chiefs first round pick is heading to the NFC West and is set to get a new deal in the process.
The Dee Ford era with the Kansas City Chiefs has likely come to an end. Terez Paylor tweeted on Tuesday evening that the Chiefs and 49ers were in discussions about trading Ford and that the Niners were closing in on a new deal with the linebacker.
The 49ers had been linked to Ford throughout the offseason, at least since it was announced that KC was interested in trading him. The Chiefs slapped Ford with the franchise tag, but it was made public that they were still considering trading him.
Now, it’s not quite quite official, but once a contract is agreed upon, Ford will be a member of the 49ers and the Chiefs will receive a second round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft in return.
49ers are working on closing a new deal with Ford, a source tells me
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) March 13, 2019
The Chiefs and Niners have agreed to parameters on a deal that would send OLB Dee Ford to San Francisco for a 2020 second-round pick, per source.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 13, 2019
Ford's camp will need to work out a contract with the Niners to complete it.
It’s been a weird offseason as a whole in the NFL, but the Kansas City Chiefs have had an eventful one for sure. Free agency hasn’t even officially started yet and already the Chiefs have made three big moves, all three coming in back-to-back-to-back days.
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- Released Justin Houston on Sunday
- Signed Tyrann Mathieu on Monday
- Traded Dee Ford on Tuesday
Bing. Bang. Boom. Three major moves for a team looking to make it to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season (though everyone is now handing that title to the Browns, LOL!!!!).
Dee Ford had a rough go of it from pretty much the moment he was drafted. Fans were wanting a wide receiver in the first round, but the Chiefs went with Ford instead.
Things didn’t get any better when he ran away from Frank Gore in a game against, ironically enough, the 49ers during his rookie season. That, sadly, was what Ford was remembered for most until this past season honestly.
Ford had a promising start to his 2016 campaign posting ten sacks, but he disappeared in the second half of the season. He followed that up with just six games played in 2017 and no one was expecting much out of him for the fifth and final year of his contract.
Instead, Ford was a terror on defense.
He finished the 2018 season with 13 sacks and played in all 16 games. Despite that 13 sack performance, Chiefs fans seemed to be okay with trading him and it felt like that was due to lack of trust. He came out of nowhere in a contract year, and that’s not always promising.
Even with Houston no longer in the picture, the fact that the Chiefs are willing to trade Ford shows that they’re going with an entirely new defense in 2019. The new 4-3 scheme won’t call for as many linebackers, but to trade their two main pass rushers from last season seems odd, considering how important the position is.
dark. Next. Five-Step Plan for 2019 Offseason
It’s too late to turn back now though. As long as Ford agrees to a new deal, he will be a 49er and the Chiefs will now look to either fill the edge rusher role through free agency or through the draft.
Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: The 2019 Kansas City Chiefs defense is going to be very different.