Charvarius Ward has been a revelation since joining the San Francisco 49ers two years ago, stamping his name among the best cornerbacks in the NFL. However, with just one year remaining on his deal, his future with the 49ers is in doubt.
Ward is hoping to remain in San Francisco for the long haul, but he also understands that this is a business.
“Yeah, I’d like to stick around,” Ward said, via David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. “I feel like it’s a good team. They love me here. I love it here. I love all the coaches, love my teammates, but I just let my agent handle it. That’s the business side of things.”
Ward added that the only thing he can do is go out on the field and play as best as he can.
“I’ll just do my job, go out there and ball, put the pressure on them,” said Ward. “Hopefully, they give me a bag. If they don’t, I know it won’t be like any bad blood between me and them. It’s just like it’ll be a business decision, but I’m pretty sure they’d like to have me, and I’d like to stay here, for sure.”
The 28-year-old is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign in which he played every game and racked up 72 tackles, five interceptions, a forced fumble, 23 passes defended and a defensive touchdown en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance. He also earned a Second-Team All-Pro selection.
The 49ers have a tight financial situation
The 49ers would surely love to retain Ward long term. After all, he has been fantastic since joining the team via free agency in 2022. However, San Francisco's financial obligations may make it impossible.
The Niners have already made defensive end Nick Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in football. They just signed Christian McCaffrey to an extension. Deebo Samuel is under contract through 2025. Brandon Aiyuk wants a new deal. Brock Purdy becomes eligible for an extension next offseason.
As you can see, the 49ers don't exactly have a whole lot of money left for Ward, who will absolutely be in high demand if San Francisco allows him to hit free agency next offseason.
Ward, who played his collegiate football at Middle Tennessee State, went undrafted but eventually landed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018. He spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs, helping lead the team to a Super Bowl championship during the 2019-20 campaign.
The McComb, Ms. native then went on to join the 49ers, where he registered 87 tackles, a pick, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 11 passes defended during his debut season in the Bay.
Ward underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury this offseason, but he is expected to be full speed ahead for training camp.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are finally looking to get over the hump after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl twice in the last five seasons. This past year, San Francisco pushed Kansas City to overtime, but ultimately fell by a score of 25-22.
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