The 49ers “missed” out on J.C. Jackson and Carlton Davis Monday. However, there were a few reports that the team was interested in Stephon Gilmore. The Niners signed former Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward to a three-year deal on Monday night.
The terms are unclear, as both Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter have different figures:
Former Chiefs’ CB Charvarious Ward intends to sign a three-year deal worth up to $42 million including $26.7 million guaranteed with the San Francisco 49ers, his agency @UniSportsMgmt told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2022
The #49ers agreed to terms with former #Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward on a 3-year, $40.5M deal, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2022
Either way, the 49ers have their CB1. Ward, who turns 26 in May, allowed a 44% completion percentage last year, often following the other team’s top wide receiver. He’s a press-man cornerback who is 6’1, 200 pounds with enough speed to carry receivers vertically.
The top three cornerbacks on the roster are all under 26, as Emmanuel Moseley (25) and Ambry Thomas (22) give the team a young core at one of the most critical positions in the NFL.
This is the biggest cornerback deal since paying Richard Sherman $10 million per season back in 2018.
Ward has been linked to the 49ers going for a couple of weeks now. We’ll get more in-depth about the Ward signing on Tuesday. For now, he’s the Niners’ big investment during free agency. Once the contract details are released, we’ll have those as well.
I’ll have a video of all of Ward’s targets from the 2021 season tomorrow, so you can be the judge of him.
The signing of Ward likely cancels out the comp pick the 49ers would have received for D.J. Jones.
Signing Ward over Gilmore suggests San Francisco is thinking long-term, which is the correct thing to do considering they’re building around Lance. Now, it’s up to Ward to keep progressing and live up to his contract.
