Chiefs making plans to keep Dee Ford in Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs will not permit outside the house linebacker Dee Ford get away, Brett Veach, the NFL team’s common manager, indicated on Thursday.

In the course of a conference connect with with the Kansas City media on Thursday, when requested about Ford, Veach claimed the Chiefs “are thrilled about bringing him again.”

In 2018, Ford attained his first Pro Bowl invitation for recording 55 tackles, 13 sacks, 7 compelled fumbles and 29 quarterback hits throughout the normal year and serving to Kansas City arrive at the AFC championship activity.

If Kansas City does retain Ford, he’ll engage in in a distinctive defense. The Chiefs replaced defensive coordinator Bob Sutton with Steve Spagnuolo soon after their 37-31 overtime reduction to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship activity. That very likely suggests a transform in Kansas City’s standard defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3 look.

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“He had an excellent year,” Veach claimed of Ford. “He was at the prime of his activity. Really, when we drafted Dee a few decades back, all those people matters that we envisioned for him, he type of confirmed that he was that player.

“We are managing a distinctive scheme now, and Steve has had the prospect to start out the approach on Monday of likely via the roster and type of on the lookout at these men not recognizing wherever they were being drafted or how significantly revenue they’re making. He’ll just give you a pure really feel on strengths, weaknesses and how we can get superior. And then we are going to throw our dialogue in there with the other information and facts in regard to what we can do to get artistic in regard to structuring matters from a (income) cap standpoint.

“Obviously, Dee is a player that has accomplished so significantly for us, in unique, last 12 months. We are thrilled about bringing him again. And then with (defensive lineman) Chris (Jones) and (extensive receiver) Tyreek (Hill), you happen to be speaking about two men that are now eligible for extensions. They’re men that we drafted and men that have accomplished tremendously in regard to just receiving superior 12 months-in and 12 months-out and being dominant players. We’ll undoubtedly have a large amount of dialogue with the agents as we get near to the blend. We want them below a lengthy time, and I’m sure they want to be below, which is a great detail. Undoubtedly, we have a unique detail brewing below, and I assume anyone wishes to hold this detail rolling. I look forward to receiving with their agents.

“If we really don’t listen to from them in the following week or two, we’re all likely to be at the blend with each other, and I’m sure there will be a large amount of conversations in how we can make this function for anyone.”

Ford claimed he’d choose to continue being with the Chiefs.

“That’s the alternative,” Ford claimed, putting emphasis on the “the,” when at the Pro Bowl. “Of course, that is dwelling to me. I like the neighborhood, and I’m just used to that ecosystem, so I’ll be blessed to be in a position to remain. We’ll cross that bridge once when we get there.”

Pro Bowl players between NFL’s 2019 no cost agents

If the Chiefs want to hold Ford from reaching no cost company, they’re going to need to have to re-sign him or use their franchise tag on him right before 3 p.m. CST March 13. Possibly way, Ford can assume a important raise from his 2018 income of $8.718 million, which arrived soon after Kansas City picked up its alternative for a fifth year on his rookie deal.

If Ford performed the 2019 year less than the exceptional-rights franchise tag, he’d be paid $15.577 million — the normal of the prime 5 linebacker salaries in the NFL

Ford indicated Spagnuolo’s arrival would imply changes for him. Though his engage in demonstrated he healthy the outside the house linebacker job in Sutton’s 3-4, it stays to be observed how Ford adapts in Spagnuolo’s 4-3. Ford appeared to indicate he might be used as he was at Auburn, wherever he performed defense finish.

“It appears to be like I’ll be likely again to those people Auburn days, coming off the edge,” Ford claimed.

An All-Condition defensive lineman at St. Clair County High College in 2008, Ford attained All-SEC recognition at Auburn in 2013 and received the MVP Award for the 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Cellular. He joined the Chiefs as the 23rd player picked in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Comply with him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.