Dee Ford trade rumors: Chiefs might have to wait for 49ers, Packers
By Matt Conner
Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer has word that any trade of Dee Ford might have to wait until after the initial free agent frenzy is over.
Despite the release of Justin Houston over the weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs still seem intent on trading their other pass-rushing linebacker in Dee Ford. However, despite showing himself to be one of the NFL’s top defenders in 2018, the market is going to have to wait before a deal gets done, according to Albert Breer
In his latest column, Breer says that the teams rumored to be most interested—the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers—are both distracted by the beginning of free agency. He writes:
"The Packers and Niners remain in the mix, but both want to wait until after the first wave of free agency is complete, so they can take a look at pass rushers there, before getting more serious on the Chiefs star."
There is, of course, no guarantee that Ford is going anywhere. The Chiefs aren’t likely to sell just for the sake of selling unless the cap room really is that important, and Ford has said he’s anxious to stay in K.C. It’s possible that free agency also helps shape the Chiefs’ perspective a bit on how the defense could look if Ford stays or goes and react accordingly.
However, there’s also a lot of smoke here, which means there’s a likely fire—one that King says will have to simmer on the back burner a bit until all parties are ready. If the Packers and/or Niners come away from free agency with some veteran pass rushing help ahead of the draft, they will likely back off of any pursuit of Ford. The draft itself is loaded with edge rushers, so each team is likely interested in adding Ford plus some prospect in April.
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That said, the Chiefs best interest will be if both teams remain interested and keep any price higher given the competition. In that case, the Chiefs might be able to secure whatever draft assets they’re aiming for by trading Ford. Then again, for some of us, it’s hard to imagine why they’re so anxious to trade him in the first place.