MIAMI, Fla. – Dee Ford always will look back fondly on his time with the Kansas City Chiefs. The dynamic edge rusher wasn’t bothered after they traded him to the 49ers last offseason.
He wasn’t bitter. He wasn’t pissed. It was time for his next act.
The Chiefs weren’t going to pay up after a Pro Bowl season where he had 13 sacks, an understood fact that made the March 13 transaction a true [and rare] mutual parting of ways.
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SIGN UP HERE Ford wanted to be a 49er. The 49ers wanted a lightning-quick presence off the edge and were willing to pay a premium.
It was time for a change.
“I felt like my chapter had been written in Kansas City,” Ford said. “I saw a lot of opportunity on the defensive line, with [Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner] – he was coming off his best year -- and [Solomon Thomas]. I remembered a lot about the time we played San Francisco in Kansas City in 2018 and I knew they lost a quarterback but still were in a lot of games. And, come on. Who doesn’t want to play in the Bay? It wasn’t a hard decision. My gut was just saying it was right.
Ask Ford’s gut for lottery numbers. Ford found paradise in Santa Clara, with an ideal role as a roving pass rusher making some serious cash. It wasn’t the five-year, $88 million deal with $33 million guaranteed that really sold him on the 49ers. The team vibe took care of that.
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“I’m being honest when I say this: It just felt like home,” Ford said. “I had my daughter in April, so I showed up late to the offseason program. They were already training and they just threw me right in the mix. I was quickly just laughing and joking and having a good time. We shared knowledge of fundamentals, what we like to do and how we like to rush. I was just one of the guys. The rest is history.”
Ford has fit in well in his first 49ers season. He had 6.5 sacks in 2019 with another in the playoffs despite missing five games with a hamstring injury.
And now, a perfect storm has set Ford’s new team and his old one on a collision course. The Chiefs and 49ers will square off Sunday in Super Bowl LIV, making Ford a central figure in the week leading up to the biggest game of his life.
Ford is excited about it, even though he’d rather everyone stopping bringing up a certain offsides penalty in last year’s AFC Championship Game. He built quality relationships during his time in Kansas City that he still maintains, even if football’s generally off the table.
He bonded quickly with his new teammates and appreciates the unselfish philosophy present along a loaded 49ers defensive front.
“We don’t have guys trying to get 20 sacks a year even though we have guys with the talent to do that,” Ford said. “We all play together. There were games where we knew sacks weren’t the most important thing. It was about playing assignment sound football. Unselfishness. That’s the secret, in my opinion.”
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The Chiefs aren’t worried about him spoiling their game plan or using his experience in K.C. against them. They are, however, concerned about Ford the pass rusher.
“Dee’s a good player,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “We drafted him in the first round and he was very productive for us. He has done a nice job for them, not that they needed a lot of help along their defensive line. He has been a nice addition. There are not a lot of pass rushers better than Dee in the National Football League.”
Programming note: NBC Sports Bay Area feeds your hunger for 49ers Super Bowl coverage with special editions of “49ers Central” all week (8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday).
Also tune in at 1 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday for a two-hour special of "49ers Pregame Live" with Laura Britt, Donte Whitner, Jeff Garcia, Ian Williams, Kelli Johnson, Greg Papa and Grant Liffmann. That same crew will have all the postgame reaction on "49ers Postgame Live," starting immediately after the game.