Report: Chiefs place franchise tag on LB Dee Ford

The Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on Dee Ford, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This decision comes well ahead of the March 5 deadline. The tag was always an option for Kansas City and something that was expected by both Ford’s camp and the Chiefs.

The Chiefs will have until July 15 to sign him to a long-term contract extension. If he’s not signed to a long term contract by then, he’ll carry a franchise tag number of $15.4 million for the 2019 season.

Chiefs are placing their franchise tag on LB Dee Ford today and plan to play with him this season, but with the change to a 4-3 defensive scheme, they will listen to trade offers for their franchised player, per league sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2019

Schefter’s report also says the Chiefs will listen to trade offers on Ford, although a long-term deal is certainly on the table. This means that if the Chiefs are truly listening to offers on Ford, they’d have to be blown away by the offer.

The Chiefs have a plan for Ford to be a member of the team in the future. There’s even a strong sense of excitement for him working with the new coaching staff in 2019 and beyond.