The San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms on a trade for Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford on Tuesday night. The only thing standing in the deal's way was a new multi-year contract for the pass rusher.
The obstacle is now gone.
The 49ers will sign Ford to a new five-year deal worth up to $87.5 million, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.
Sounds like the #49ers will give Dee Ford a multi-year deal once the trade becomes official in the line of 5 years/$87.5M, per source. https://t.co/McLKKxheel
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 13, 2019
The report was later confirmed by James Palmer of NFL Network.
It looks like Dee Ford should be in line for an extension with the 49ers. 5 years for roughly 87.5 million I'm told per source.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 13, 2019
San Francisco is sending its second-round pick in next year's draft to Kansas City in exchange for Ford. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was the first to report the 49ers were "deep in talks" with the Chiefs for Ford. Albert Breer of The MMQB and Rapoport were the first to report that two teams agreed to the terms of the trade.
The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Ford with the intention of dealing him to another team. Kansas City used the No. 23 overall pick in 2014 to select the linebacker. He recorded 13 sacks to go along with his 55 combined tackles and league-high seven forced fumbles this past season. Ford has registered 137 combined tackles, 30.5 sacks, six passes defensed, and nine forced fumbles during his five NFL seasons.
The 49ers have been in dire need of pass-rushing help. The defensive unit ranked No. 22 in sacks this past season after bringing down opposing quarterbacks just 37 times. Ford has racked up 25 sacks over the past three seasons, including double-digit sacks in two of his past three seasons.