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The Kansas City Chiefs picked up Ford’s fifth year option after the 2017 season and gave Ford one year to prove he deserved a big contract. He did just that, by staying healthy for all 16 games (and both playoff games). Along the way, he put up 13 sacks and made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2018. Still the Chiefs were unwilling to offer a big contract given Ford’s ongoing back issues, and the team utilized the franchise tag on Ford with the goal of dealing him.
In the end, the 49ers traded their 2020 second round pick to the Chiefs and signed him to a massive extension that came in at five years and $85.5 million. The deal had over $33 million guaranteed to Ford. For their part, the Chiefs moved on from their 2014 first-round pick in favor of making a big splash with the trade of their 1st round pick in 2019 and their own 2nd round pick in 2020 to the Seattle Seahawks for Frank Clark. Clark was integral in the Chiefs’ defensive turnaround the second half of 2019 and in winning the Super Bowl LIV Championship.
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