KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Linebacker Dee Ford, who had a breakout season for the Kansas City Chiefs in the final season of his contract last year, was named as the team's franchise player for 2019 on Monday, sources told ESPN.
The one-year franchise tender for outside linebackers next season is just over $15.4 million. Ford made about $8.7 million last season after the Chiefs exercised the fifth-year option of the contract he signed as a rookie in 2014.
Ford, who will turn 28 on March 19, finally became the player in 2018 that the Chiefs envisioned when they drafted him in the first round out of Auburn.