The Kansas City Chiefs are placing the franchise tag on outside linebacker

Dee Ford after the best season of his career Drew Lock Jersey , though that could be just the first step in their dealings with him.The decision was made on Saturday, a person familiar with it told The Associated Press, three days before the league’s deadline for franchising players. But the Chiefs have discussed signing Ford to a long-term deal, and they are open to trade possibilities as they switch their base defenses.The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the move was not finalized as the paperwork awaited filing. ESPN.com was first to report the Chiefs had made the decision.The franchise tag for an outside linebacker next season is just over $15.4 million, a number the Chiefs could easily fit under the salary cap. But general manager Brett Veach has made it clear since taking over last year that he is open to making any moves that help the overall club.That could mean a long-term contract — the deadline for doing that with a franchise player is July 15 — or trading away one of the league’s top pass rushers.“He had an outstanding season. He was at the top of his game,” Veach said during his year-end discussion with reporters. “When we drafted Dee a few years ago, all those things that we envisioned for him http://www.cardinalscheapstore.com/zach-allen-jersey-cheap , he kind of showed that he was that player.”But that also came in former defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme, which is built around a 3-4 base. The Chiefs fired Sutton after an AFC West-winning season culminated in an overtime loss to the Patriots, and hired Steve Spagnuolo to implement a 4-3 scheme.“The one thing he can do, and we all know this, he is an explosive football player that makes a lot of plays,” Spagnuolo said recently. “He’s had some production and if he is here with us, I’ll be excited to have him and be excited to work with him.”Ford was the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2014 out of Auburn Andy Isabella Jersey , but he struggled with injuries and the adjustment to the NFL his first couple seasons. He only played in six games with two sacks in 2017, but had a career-best 13 sacks and forced seven fumbles this past season.That performance made the franchise tag a palatable option.“Obviously, Dee is a player that has done so much for us, in particular last year,” Veach said. “We have a special thing brewing here and I think everyone wants to keep this thing rolling.”The Chiefs also have a decision to make with fellow outside linebacker Justin Houston, who had nine sacks in 12 games last season. He carries a salary cap hit of $21.1 million, a number the Chiefs would like to drive down either by restructuring his deal or potentially releasing him.“I would say that he’s under contract for this year and next year Jamel Dean Jersey ,” Veach said at the NFL’s scouting combine this week. “Again, our plan is to play with him and we look forward to having him on our roster. There’s a lot of dialogue and I think everything is fluid for the next few weeks until we get into the start of the league year. We’ll kind of handle that — the information we get, what’s real, what’s not real — and it’s a good problem to have because he’s a great player.” Josh McCown said in March that he would take some time to decide if he wanted to continue his NFL career during the 2019 season and he announced that decision on Monday.McCown is retiring as a player after a career that saw him spend time with 10 NFL teams and the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League in a career that started as a Cardinals third-round pick in 2002. McCown started for some of those teams, served as a backup for others and failed to make the active roster of a couple, but he wrote in that he wouldn’t have done things any differently.“I guess it just goes to show that you don’t always get to choose your own path,” McCown wrote. “But looking back D.K. Metcalf Jersey , I’m proud of how my career has gone. I don’t shy away from the journeyman label. I embrace it, full force. Because it’s been one heck of a journey.”In that letter, McCown suggested that coaching and broadcasting were areas he’d pursue in the future. Former Browns coach Hue Jackson offered McCown a coaching job in Cleveland after the 2016 season, but he opted to continue his playing career.McCown spent the last two seasons with the Jets and also had stints with the Browns, Buccaneers, Bears, 49ers Nick Bosa Jersey , Panthers, Dolphins and Lions after leaving Arizona. He started 76 games over the course of his career, completed 60.2 percent of his passes and had a 98:82 touchdown-to-interception ratio.