The San Francisco 49ers released defensive end Dee Ford on Wednesday, ending the former Pro Bowler's three-year tenure with the team that was often marred by injuries.

Signed to a five-year, $85.5million contract by San Francisco in 2019, Ford appeared in just seven games over the last two seasons and 18 total regular-season contests in that three-year period.

The 49ers acquired Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2019 in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick. The 31-year-old recorded 13 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in his final season in Kansas City, then had 6.5 sacks in 11 games with San Francisco in 2019.

However, Ford missed all but one game in 2020 due to a chronic back injury that limited him to six games this past season.

The move will save the 49ers around $1.1 million in 2022 but will leave the team with over $11.6 million in dead cap space over the next two seasons.

A first-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014, Ford twice posted double-digit sack totals during his five-year run in Kansas City and has 40 sacks in 85 games over eight NFL seasons.