49ers roster: 5 moves John Lynch must execute without question in 2022
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers must part ways with Dee Ford
Among the tougher decisions John Lynch and Co. have to make is admitting mistakes, and one of San Francisco’s biggest blunders in recent years was the 2019 trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for EDGE Dee Ford.
Granted, it made sense at the time. The 49ers wanted to reinforce their pass rush and find a complementary linemate to pair with Nick Bosa.
It worked for parts of that year, as Ford was able to notch 6.5 sacks over 11 games. But early in 2020, he suffered a back injury that kept him out the rest of the season, and then Ford was held to just six games in 2021 before reverting back to injured reserve with the same issue, a situation that’ll mean he misses the rest of the year.
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Parting ways with Ford won’t be cheap, especially considering his injury guarantees. The Niners already owe him $4.9 million on a voided year in 2023 no matter what, and parting ways with him after June 1 of 2022 will still cost another $4.9 million in dead money against $7 million in cap savings.
Still, it’s better for San Francisco to recoup whatever losses it can right now and invest those in other areas of need.