Dee Ford is going to be a red hot name in NFL free agency

Dee Ford has some hopeful teams licking their chops in the hopes they can pry the young linebacker away from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dee Ford still has some work to do. As the Kansas City Chiefs best overall pass rusher and defender in 2017 (or maybe Chris Jones), Ford’s primary focus is on the task ahead: making and winning a Super Bowl. But however his season ends, whether losing on the journey to the Lombardi or hoisting the Trophy himself, Ford has a lot to look forward to even after the biggest game of the year.

Ford picked the right time for a breakout year. The Chiefs linebacker is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in a matter of weeks, and for the last four months, he’s put on a clinic against opposing offensive tackles on how to get after the passer. In a league hungry for elite pass rushers, Ford’s breakout year sent up a signal that one might—just might—be available this spring.

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Ford has always had the potential for a year like this one, or else former general manager John Dorsey would have never invested a first-round choice in the first place. Ford struggled with inconsistency in his earliest seasons and various injuries also entered the picture to keep him from ever truly putting it all together. Ford had only 5.5 sacks total after his first two years in the league.

However, in 2016, Ford showed the kind of promise that would ultimately give way to this year. Ford led the NFL in sacks at the halfway point of that year and he finished with 10 on the season. In 2017, Ford was expected to mature even more and help the Chiefs pass rush look elite in Alex Smith’s final year with the team. Unfortunately, Ford dealt with an ongoing back injury that kept him from all but six starts on the year.

Coming into this year, it was difficult to tell which version of Ford the team would get. Ford would be motivated by a potential payday for sure, but no one saw this year coming, a year in which he has 13 sacks and 29 quarterback hits playing opposite Justin Houston.

Other teams are already hungering after the idea of bringing Dee Ford on board as a free agent prize. The Cleveland Browns are reportedly set to go after Ford if the Chiefs make him available (e.g. not placing the franchise tag on him). Putting Ford on the same team as Myles Garrett sounds unfair, but that’s exactly what Dorsey would love to see.

The New York Jets also have to be interested given the amount of money available for free agents. Safety Jamal Adams has also already tweeted how much he’d like to see the team bring in Dee Ford as a teammate, a major boost for a defense who sack leaders only had 7 apiece.

Jason La Canfora has already tweeted the news that the Chiefs are leaning away from applying the franchise tag which could mean Ford is going to be given every chance to explore the open market. If so, he’s not going to have any shortage of suitors. The NFL is hungry for players just like Ford, and some interest is even starting to leak.

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For now, however, Ford’s focus is on winning. The rest of the drama will be here soon enough.

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