San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward is unsure of his return to the Bay Area. But it’s not for the reason you think.
Ward said that the impact of his daughter’s death drained his social battery, and it took everything he had—physically, mentally, and emotionally—to be able to attend 49ers practices and team meetings. “It was just hard to be around people. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me and everything like that,” he said.
He also commended the team for being patient with him, letting him stay home as long as he wanted to. He said he regretted coming back because the environment was depressing. However, he believed the team had a chance to “do something special,” and even though it did not, he still made the effort to show up for his teammates.
Ward then said the trauma he suffered this year has made it difficult to physically be in the state of California. “I got a lot of trauma in California,” he said. “I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, that’s probably going to ever happen to me, happened in California ... It just bring[s] up bad memories. Every time I get on the plane and come back to California—Santa Clara, San Jose—and show up here, this is where I’ve got bad memories. I go through that every day.”
“I get PTSD a lot,” he added. “I [would] be throwing up, waking up in the middle [of the] night all the time, sweating, stuff like that.”
His girlfriend, Monique Cook, also refuses to be in California, which meant he was alone for most of the season. “She’s my strength right now,” he said. “I need her. And so her not being able to be around me if I’m in California, it'll be tough.”
Looking forward to his future, Ward appeared to be keeping his options open. Had he matched his 2023 performance—which included 72 total tackles, 23 passes defended, and 5 interceptions with one touchdown—he would likely have become one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, and he believed San Francisco couldn’t afford to pay him. He regressed somewhat this season, only registering 51 total tackles and 7 passes defended, and he was open to whatever he could fetch on the market.
He also said he wanted to go somewhere he would be “loved.” “That’s what I need right now, a lot of love. And I know the Niners love me, but in this business, a lot of time money talks.” He said he would consider playing somewhere in the South to be closer to his family.
But Ward also praised his teammates, the 49ers organization, and even several of the reporters present, and said that if he could overcome some of the trauma he faced this year, he would be open to a return.
Wherever he ends up playing next year, Ward mentioned that going into this offseason, he will be the most motivated he has ever been in his career, because he wants to play for his son and daughter.
Ward was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs during that season, and rose to become a star for the Chiefs. He signed a three-year $42 million deal with San Francisco in 2022.
