According to multiple reports, the San Francisco 49ers are finalizing the details with the Kansas City Chiefs for EDGE Dee Ford that would send the pass-rusher to the Bay Area.
So much for the San Francisco 49ers being entirely quiet on the trade front.
The Niners may have missed out on wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is now heading from the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster deal. But further reports from both The MMQB’s Albert Breer and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport are saying San Francisco is making a move with the Kansas City Chiefs for EDGE Dee Ford:
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.
More trade news: The #Chiefs are deep in talks with the #49ers on a trade for star pass-rusher Dee Ford, sources say. Things have escalated and this could get done by the end of the night. Ford needs to work out a new contract with SF, which is a big piece of this.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2019
According to further reports, Ford will sign a five-year, $87.5 million deal once the trade is complete. He was initially hit with the Chiefs’ franchise tag earlier.
This is massive news for the 49ers, whose defense managed just 37 sacks in 2018 — tied for 22nd in the league. Ford, meanwhile, had 13 last season and also led the league with seven forced fumbles en route to his first Pro Bowl.
San Francisco recorded a mere seven defensive takeaways last year — dead last in the league.
| Game | Game | Def | Def | Def | Def | Def | Fumb | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | AV |
| 2014 | 23 | KAN | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2015 | 24 | KAN | lolb | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.0 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 25 | KAN | LOLB/rolb | 15 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10.0 | 38 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 7 |
| 2017 | 26 | KAN | lcb/rolb | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| 2018* | 27 | KAN | LOLB/rolb | 16 | 16 | 7 | 13.0 | 55 | 42 | 13 | 13 | 29 | 8 | |||||
| Care | Care | 67 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 30.5 | 136 | 102 | 34 | 36 | 69 | 23 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/12/2019.
Ford, 6-foot-2 and 252 pounds, is just 27 years old and has started 41 of the 67 games he played with the Chiefs after being selected by Kansas City at No. 23 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Better yet for the Niners, who don’t have to give up one of six picks in this year’s NFL Draft, they land a prolific pass-rusher from a Chiefs squad looking to trim cap space heading into 2019.
San Francisco should also be expected to grab another pass-rusher early in this year’s draft, perhaps as early as its No. 2 overall selection this April. Yet if the 49ers elect to take a different route, this pending deal for Ford should at least take a lot of pressure off general manager John Lynch and Co. to make a splash pickup on draft day.
49ers 2019 free agency: Latest news, rumors & reports. dark. Next
There’s certainly going to be more news and analysis from this acquisition shortly, so stay tuned.