Dee Ford rumors: Packers, 49ers show interest in Chiefs pass rusher
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs might be trading Dee Ford after all given the interest reportedly shown by the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.
The Kansas City Chiefs floated the idea that pass rusher Dee Ford could be available via trade this offseason for the right price, and apparently, the line was enough to draw a couple of potential bites, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Rapoport reported on Saturday that the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers have both expressed interest in acquiring Ford from the Chiefs. Any such deal would go down as one of the biggest of the entire offseason given that Ford was one of the league’s best overall defenders in 2018 and still has plenty of prime years ahead.
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Nearly a week ago, the Chiefs made it clear that they would be open to trading one or both of their primary pass rushers at outside linebacker in Justin Houston and Ford. Houston was rumored to be released or traded soon, and it seemed at the time like dealing Ford was a longshot—one of those rumors floated if a team wanted to blow away general manager Brett Veach with an offer. One week later, Houston remains on the roster and Ford now has more smoke than anyone around a potential move.
Any team willing to trade for Ford is likely going to be interested in pursuing a long-term extension with the former first-round pick. Ford will play this season under the franchise tag, set at just over $15 million for the 2019 season as a linebacker until any such extension is reached. If not, he will likely become a free agent in 2020.
For teams anxious to add pass rushing help, Ford offers a ready-made option who led the entire NFL in quarterback pressures in 2019. He set career highs with 13 sacks and 7 forced fumbles and teamed with Houston and Chris Jones to lead the entire league in sacks as a defensive unit.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs are up against the salary cap thanks to former contracts handed out to Houston and Eric Berry. Given the tough choices, the Chiefs are obviously looking to go younger in the defensive front under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.