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Dee Ford heads to the San Francisco 49ers eager to prove his doubters wrong. He's spent a good deal of his time with the Kansas City Chiefs trying to shake off the "bust" label that comes with a first-round pick who seemingly underperforms early in his career.
"For so long, I've been fighting the narrative … of [not] being a solid first-round draft pick,"
Ford told Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports shortly after being traded to San Francisco. "For so long, I've been fighting that narrative that I'm not that good, that I didn't qualify as [a good pick]."
The 49ers traded a second-round pick in next year's draft with the hopes that Ford can solve the team's pass rushing woes. San Francisco believes in him when some fans, and even coaches, in Kansas City did not.
One of those coaches was Gary Gibbs, who served as the Chiefs' linebackers coach until 2017. He was fired after that season.
Ford went on to have a monster season in 2018, racking up career-highs in combined tackles (55) and sacks (13). How good of a season was it? No other linebacker or edge defender produced more total pressures than Ford's 84, according to Pro Football Focus. His pass-rush grade of 91.1 was the best in the NFL among those position groups for players who took at least 20 percent of the snaps last season.
"Damn,
and they gave up a second-round pick," Ford said after learning the terms of the 49ers-Chiefs trade. "They don't understand what they're about to get — I needed this, bro."
Ford compiled 10-or-more sacks in two of his last three seasons. He was limited to two through six games in 2017 after being slowed by a herniated disc in his back. Once again, he felt the doubt surface from fans even after an impressive campaign last season. Did some really think 2018 (and maybe 2016) was a fluke?
"It's crazy how the brain works," Ford said. "It's almost like, once you lie to somebody, they only remember you as a liar. So, once I was presented to them as a player that struggled, I was always that player that struggled."
The criticism got stronger after one particular play in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. Ford was penalized for being offsides on defense at the end of the game. It was a call that invalidated a potentially game-sealing interception by cornerback
Charvarius Ward that might have sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.
Ford is ready for a fresh start and eager to prove himself to his new team and a new fan base. He expects to be even better in San Francisco than he was in Kansas City.
Ford showed up for training camp last offseason 10 pounds underweight due to his recovery from injury. This year, he plans to show up for the 49ers at a "clean" 245 pounds.
"Me knowing they believe in me ... talking to the GM, talking to the owner, talking to the head coach ... they couldn't wait [for me to get there]," Ford said.
One 49ers player who will benefit from Ford's presence on the defense is DeForest Buckner, who led the team with a career-high 12 sacks last season from the interior of the defensive line. He got used to facing double teams from opposing blockers but could have another monster year with Ford garnering some attention.
Opposing quarterbacks beware.
Paylor joined KNBR on Wednesday morning to share what Ford brings to the 49ers. You can listen to the entire interview below.
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
NFL Communications has officially announced the "NFL legends and active players" who will announce selections during Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Representing the San Francisco 49ers will be former defensive tackle Anthony "Spice" Adams, who spent four seasons with the team and nine in the NFL.
San Francisco selected Adams out of Penn State in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
The NFL's full announcement is below.
In the NFL's continuous effort to connect the game's greats with the next generation of stars, NFL Legends and active players will add to the excitement of the 2024 NFL Draft by announcing various selections and participating in festivities in Detroit.
Pro Football Hall of Famers Isaac
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
George Kittle made his sentiments clear in a recent conversation about his teammate, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The tight end emphasized that he couldn't picture the San Francisco 49ers without Aiyuk and spoke highly of him in a discussion with Fox News Digital's Scott Thompson.
Throughout the offseason, Kittle has had several conversations with Aiyuk and empathizes with his situation. Reflecting on his own contract negotiation in 2020 before reaching an agreement with the 49ers, Kittle offered his best advice to Aiyuk: "Hey, be patient."
Kittle added, "It's just kind of the way the Niners do things. I didn't
