- Charvarius Ward, an established starter for the past six seasons in Kansas City and San Francisco, represents security at a position that has often been plagued by injuries and uncertainty.
- Ward is the second secondary free agent pickup so far this offseason, after the Colts added Vikings safety Camryn Bynum earlier Monday.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts have made another big splash in the secondary in free agency, filling its remaining hole in the back end by agreeing to terms with 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward on a three-year deal worth $35 million in guaranteed money and up to $60 million overall, a league source told IndyStar.
Ward, 28, was widely considered one of the top available cornerbacks on the market, a Pro Bowler who turned in the best season of his career in 2023 with 72 tackles, five interceptions and a league-leading 23 passes defended.
The veteran was the team’s top target at the position on Monday, according to a league source, and the Colts stuck to their interest in Ward as other potential cornerback options signed elsewhere, even though it seemed like Ward might head elsewhere.
Ultimately, the team’s patience was rewarded.
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The 2024 season ended up being one of the most difficult years of Ward’s career, a season marred by injuries to his hamstring and knee, as well as the tragedy of losing his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, to a heart defect she’d had since birth.
But he still represents the kind of talented veteran cornerback who instantly fills the other open hole in the Indianapolis defense, hours after the Colts filled their hole at free safety with former Viking Camryn Bynum, the biggest outside move Indianapolis has made for a non-quarterback since trading a first-round pick for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in 2020.
The veteran cornerback has already promised to return to form with a new team in 2025.
“Whatever team I’m on next year gone get the best version of ME,” Ward wrote on his X account in early February. “I’m HUNGRY.”
Ward, an established starter for the past six seasons in Kansas City and San Francisco, represents security at a cornerback position that has often been plagued by injuries and uncertainty the past two seasons, even after a down season where he allowed opposing quarterbacks to average 7.5 yards per target and a rating of 116.6 against him.
Indianapolis still has 2023 second-round pick JuJu Brents, who has played in just 11 of a possible 34 games in his career due to ongoing injury issues, and Samuel Womack II, who started the final 14 games, but Colts general manager Chris Ballard made it clear this offseason Indianapolis needed to make upgrades in the secondary.
“I thought (Nick) Cross has really come on (at strong safety), I think he’s ascending,” Ballard said at the NFL scouting combine. “I think (Jaylon) Jones can be a really good player. Kenny Moore II is Kenny Moore II. We’ve got to add some in the back end, without question, whether it’s a vet, whether it’s draft, whatever it is.”
Indianapolis made big investments early in free agency to get players who provide a veteran presence in the secondary, a key development for new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who prefers to change his defenses on a weekly basis, tailoring his scheme to attack an opponent’s strengths.
The additions of Ward and Bynum should allow Anarumo to dip as far into his bag of tricks as he wants, even though Jones and Cross are still young starters.
The signings also represent a significant shift in philosophy for Ballard, who has bet heavily on young players at both cornerback and safety the past two seasons, only to see those plans blow up because of injuries to Brents and former starter Dallis Flowers. The Colts defense struggled as a result, finishing 24th in yards and 28th in scoring in 2023, then 29th and 26th in 2024, prompting team leaders like Moore and Buckner to call out problems with ego, preparation and attention to detail on the defensive side of the ball.
Both Buckner and Moore approved of the moves to land Ward and Bynum on Monday, posting excited reactions to their social media accounts.
By signing Ward, Ballard is going back to the path that has produced the most fruit for him at cornerback in his nine seasons as Indianapolis general manager. Drafting potential starters in the second round has produced mixed results; Quincy Wilson, Rock Ya-Sin and Brents have all failed to develop into the long-term, cornerstone cornerbacks the Colts have long needed.
Free agency has produced more fruit. Indianapolis got a career year from Pierre Desir in 2018, a great season from former Vikings Pro Bowler Xavier Rhodes in 2020 and impressive play from veteran Stephon Gilmore in the franchise’s lost season of 2022.
Ward represents the most expensive addition in that lineage, but he’s also the player with the highest profile entering free agency, considering his age and durability. Ward has never played fewer than 12 games in a season; he was coming off back-to-back 17-game seasons in San Francisco before the heartbreak of 2024.
From the sounds of it, Ward is eager to prove to the rest of the NFL that he’s still the player who served as the linchpin of San Francisco’s secondaries in deep playoff runs in both 2022 and 2023, a perfect fit for a defensive coordinator who wants to make life difficult on opposing quarterbacks by messing with their eyes, both before and after the snap.
