As soon as Dee Ford heard that a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs to the San Francisco 49ers was a possibility, the veteran pass rusher became excited. He and his representatives were permitted to seek a trade, so they started to look at teams that might try to add a pass rusher in the draft.

The 49ers were looking to upgrade their lethargic pass rush last offseason, so they reached out.

"As soon as I heard 'San Francisco,' I'm like, 'That's definitely a place that I can go. I would love to play in The Bay.'" Ford told reporters on Tuesday during a Super Bowl LIV media event. "I knew Solomon Thomas; I knew Arik Armstead, DeForest (Buckner), D.J. (Jones). I saw them on tape. I watched a lot of tape, so I always seen them play on tape. So I already knew the talent that they had."

Ford saw a trade to the 49ers as a no-brainer. So what are his thoughts on his team after having spent a full season with San Francisco?

One thing the defender does know is that he and his teammates make each other better.

"I'm not who I am without great teammates," Ford said. "This is not a one-man sport. I'm not able to do what I do unless I have three other rushers that are cohesive with me, and we all correlate and rush off of each other.

"I'm able to use what I do best in relation to what they do best. So the fact that they show up, we hold each other accountable, and we trust one another, and we all show up, that's what makes this thing so special."

Ford will go up against his former team in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.