49ers rule out Ford for season, giving up hope he’d return for playoff push
SANTA CLARA >> Dee Ford initially cost the 49ers a 2020 second-round draft pick. Then came the gobs of money, totaling a fitting $49 million that will have been wired into Ford’s account by the time he’s off their books.
So, what’s he going to cost them now? Ford was ruled out Wednesday from returning this season due to a back injury. But that doesn’t nullify a deep playoff run next month.
Ford is not the singular difference-maker they’ve paid him to be. His body broke down and would not allow it. His health always was a gamble, and the 49ers can say he at least enhanced a 2019 run at the Lombardi Trophy.
“He’s not going to be back this year,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “He had to be good by today and he’s not so we’re shutting him down.
“He’s not going to stay there because he’s done for the year, so he’ll go back to Kansas City, where he does his other rehab.”
Shanahan said the 49ers will not immediately release Ford, which would have had salary-cap ramifications. “We’ll address it after the season,” Shanahan said of Ford’s future, which could include retirement because of “an unfortunate injury.”
Now the 49ers move on with Nick Bosa (career-high 14 sacks) still anchoring a defensive front that occasionally flashes (see: five sacks in Sunday’s overtime win at Cincinnati) and they surely could use a consistent pass rusher to collapse the other side of the pocket.
They’ll forge ahead looking for an edge presence from Samson Ebukam, Arden Key, Jordan Willis, Charles Omenihu and, when not playing on the interior, Arik Armstead. They’ll need everyone (but Ford) to rally for a stretch run that resumes Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, when the 49ers (7-6) host the Atlanta Falcons (6-7).
On Oct. 24, Ford landed on his problematic back on his final play as a 49er this season — and perhaps beyond.
Lined up at left defensive end, he raced five steps, drew a double-team block and got shoved to Levi’s Stadium’s waterlogged grass. All the while, Carson Wentz’s 28-yard, third-down touchdown pass arced through the rainy night’s
sky to finish off a 30-18 rout and spell an end to No. 55’s season.
It was the 49ers’ fourth straight loss. Their season looked doomed. Ford initially was listed on the injury report with a concussion before the chronic back issue revealed itself as the true nature of his imminent demise.
After appearing in 34 percent of the 2019 defense’s snaps, he was onegame-and-done last season
because of a back issue dating back to his college days. Then, after restructuring his contract to help the team in this reducedcap year, he managed 106 snaps through six games.
Anything was supposed to be a bonus, and three sacks through four games certainly qualified.
Wednesday marked Ford’s deadline to come off injured reserve or be cut off from returning this season. The 49ers activated his
three-week window to practice on Thanksgiving, but he’s mostly spent his time since then working on the side with a trainer.
“Anything with a back, that’s tough. He’s been trying hard to get out there and it’s been tough, he’s had setbacks,” linebacker Fred Warner. “We miss him out there, for sure.”
Ford lasted this long because of his obvious talent, but also because he was well-liked. He’s the kind of guy who buys strangers gas at the pump, and he bought a guitar for a teenager while the 49ers were on a Florida layover.
Ford’s affable spirit worked not only with teammates but also with the 49ers’ brass. Assistant general manager Adam Peters greeted him with a hug before a recent training session. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch repeatedly supported Ford over the years — understandably having his back, no pun intended, as one of the priciest acquisitions over their tenure.
He’s drawn $41.5 million through this season from the 49ers, with $7 million coming next year, according to Spotrac.com.
Shanahan indicated Monday that Ford wasn’t tracking well, saying: “I’ll be surprised if he’s back. I think we’ll just have to continue playing without him.”
Ford didn’t work out as planned. This season, however, remains a work in progress.
The 49ers have won five of seven since Ford’s last snap. His exit doesn’t harm their chances, all due respect to the damage he’s done to the payroll since a March 2019 trade from Kansas City.