Dee Ford: The Chiefs “had to do what they needed to do”
By Matt Conner
It’s clear from Dee Ford’s introductory press conference with the San Francisco 49ers that he’s not taking anything personal from his exit from K.C.
Maybe it’s the $90 million-ish dollars coming his way. Maybe he’s really just a very nice guy. Either way, Dee Ford was very kind and understanding about his exit from the Kansas City Chiefs.
The San Francisco 49ers held an introductory press conference earlier to week to allow reporters to ask questions of their newest defensive imports: Ford and linebacker Kwon Alexander. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan also took questions about the transactions to bring them in.
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In the second half of the presser, Ford was specifically asked, “Were you disappointed that the Chiefs didn’t want to make a long-term commitment to you?”
Ford absolutely took the high road in his response and had no ill will. In fact, he ended up giving his longtime head coach a nice compliment in the process.
“Nah, it’s the business,” said Ford. “This is a business at the end of the day. They had to do what they needed to do and that’s why Andy [Reid] is great. He has to do what’s best for the team. This is a business at the end of the day. As players we don’t get caught into that. We look at the challenge that’s ahead and this is my new challenge and I’m excited. I think you can hear we’re all excited and moving on.”
Ford was given the franchise tag by the Chiefs after the season to keep him from becoming a free agent. The thought process was that the Chiefs would keep him for the season on a one-year deal at just over $15 million on the tag after he broke out during a contract year in 2018 with one of the best overall seasons by any defender in the NFL. In fact, Pro Football Focus rated Ford the best edge defender in the league.
After the Chiefs released Justin Houston, word began to leak that they were also interested in trading Ford for the sake of cap space. The Packers and Niners were immediately named as potential suitors, and clearly Lynch was in it until the end. The Chiefs ended up sending Ford to San Francisco for a second round selection in 2020.
Ford had a career high in sacks (13) and forced fumbles (7) last year for the Chiefs.