Charvarius Ward targeting 2024 improvement that could hasten the end of his career with the 49ers
Though he was unable to claim victory over his former employers in Super Bowl 58, there's no doubt Charvarius Ward has made strides since he left the Kansas City Chiefs to join the San Francisco 49ers. Two outstanding seasons with the Niners have seen him established as one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL, […]
Though he was unable to claim victory over his former employers in Super Bowl 58, there's no doubt Charvarius Ward has made strides since he left the Kansas City Chiefs to join the San Francisco 49ers.
Two outstanding seasons with the Niners have seen him established as one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL, with Ward named second-team All-Pro in 2023 after a campaign that saw him rack up a league-leading 23 pass breakups with five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
In a recent ranking by Pro Football Focus, Ward was named as the third-best cornerback in the NFL, trailing only Sauce Gardner and Trent McDuffie.
Given his continued ascent, it should be seen as no surprise that Ward, an unrestricted free agent next offseason, is keen to remain with the 49ers long term.
"Yeah, I'd like to stick around," Ward told a press conference this week.
"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.
"I'll just do my job, go out there and ball, put the pressure on them. 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."
Despite his hugely impressive 2023 performance, Ward is targeting improvement in a specific area of his game. If he succeeds in doing so, it might make it significantly more difficult for the Niners to re-sign him.
"Capitalize on a lot of missed opportunities I had last year," Ward replied when asked where he is looking to make strides in 2024.
"I felt like I could have had almost 10 interceptions last year. So I want to just make more plays, try to become more of a leader, more of a talker. I'm kind of like the old head of the DB group now. So yeah, just become more of a leader and make more plays, be better than I was last year."
Ward's five interceptions represented a career-high, but he obviously feels that more of his breakups could have turned into interceptions. The 49ers would love for him to be more prolific in terms of creating turnovers, but Ward achieving that aim and getting to double-digit picks would significantly increase the price to sign him to an extension.
With another lockdown season in which he improves his number of interceptions, Ward could command a huge amount on the open market as he aims to land what will likely be the 28-year-old's final big contract.
There's a strong argument to be made that Ward getting better at generating turnovers this coming season would increase the chances of 2024 being his final year with the 49ers. However, if the Niners can finally get over the hump and end their wait for a sixth Lombardi Trophy in part because of his strong play, they will gladly accept the headache of Ward being more difficult to keep around.
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