49ers do not envision edge rusher Ford remaining on 2022 team

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — Defensive end Dee Ford’s time with the 49ers has come to an end, general manager John Lynch acknowledged on Monday.

“I don’t see a lot of hope with him being a factor for us on the field moving forward,” Lynch said at the NFL Annual Meeting.

“I think we tried to be as patient as possible, and no fault of Dee, he just ran into a bad situation with his back, where he couldn’t get healthy.”

Ford continues to rehab a chronic back situation, but Lynch all but ruled out the possibility of Ford ever again playing for the 49ers. He said he was not sure about the timing of an official split.

“We’ll figure that out, exactly what the transaction will be,” Lynch said. “But not enough hope and progress to see him playing for us moving forward.”

The 49ers acquired Ford in a 2019 trade from the Kansas City Chiefs for a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The 49ers signed him to a five year, $85 million contract to complete the deal.

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Ford appeared in just 18 regular-season games over the past three seasons. He registered 9.5 sacks for the 49ers.

Ford had three sacks in the first six games of last season before going on injured reserve with a back injury that limited him to just one game in 2020.

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