SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Making their first major move from free agency, the San Francisco 49ers agreed to a three-year contract with former Kansas City cornerback Charvarius Ward.
A person familiar with the deal confirmed it Monday evening, in a conversation with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because the contract cannot be signed until Wednesday at the start of the new competition year.
ESPN first reported the deal, saying it could be worth up to $42 million with $26.7 million guaranteed.
The Ward contract will provide San Francisco with much-needed help in secondary and is the richest contract the team has given a cornerback in six seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
Ward spent the past four seasons in Kansas City after being acquired by the Chiefs in a trade with the Cowboys. Ward had originally signed to Dallas in 2018 as an unwritten free agent.
Ward became a Kansas City starter in his sophomore season, helping the Chiefs beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl that year. He has defended four interceptions and 29 passes in 56 career games.
Over the past three seasons, Ward has allowed his opponents to catch less than half of the passes thrown with him under cover, according to Pro Football Focus, as he has developed into one of the game’s better corner defenders.
The addition of Ward fills a void in San Francisco’s defenses. The Niners struggled to get consistent play after Jason Verrett fell in the opener last year with a season-ending knee injury. Emmanuel Moseley and rookie Ambry Thomas put in the best play and were starters at the end of the year, but adding a proven option was a priority this off-season.
San Francisco started free agency by losing two key free agents, with security guard Laken Tomlinson agreeing to a contract with the New York Jets and defensive tackle DJ Jones agreeing to the Denver.
The other big question hanging over the Niners is the future of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco plans to turn over the offense to Trey Lance, last year’s number three, and is looking for a trading partner to return a pick for Garoppolo and his salary of more than $24 million.
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