49ers roster: 4 players who should probably retire after 2021

No. 2: 49ers EDGE Dee Ford

It’s important to note how the average career length for an NFL player is only 3.3 years, so the fact anyone on this list has managed to surpass that is quite the accomplishment.

Underperformance is one way to convince a player to retire, but injuries can get in the way, too, unfortunately.

Such is the case with 30-year-old EDGE Dee Ford, whom San Francisco acquired via trade from the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2019 season in an attempt to beef up a top-level defensive line.

Read More: Ranking 49ers’ 10 worst trades in franchise history

Injuries played a role in Ford appearing in just 11 regular-season games that season and seeing only 22 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, cut down to just one game in 2020 after he was beset by a serious back injury in Week 1 of that year.

If anything, it was a small miracle Ford was able to return for six games in 2021, yet it was evident he was nowhere close to 100 percent, and that same back issue flared up again, subsequently resulting in him landing on season-ending injured reserve once more.

At this point, almost regardless of the near-$12 million the 49ers are scheduled to pay him in 2022, Ford should strongly consider preserving his banged-up body and prevent any further injury.

Especially with something as serious as a back condition.