The San Francisco 49ers thought they had their undisputed No .1 cornerback in Charvarius Ward going into 2024.
That may not be the case as he has struggled and been injured which could impact his potential big pay day in the offseason.
Last year, Ward was a second team All-Pro. He had five interceptions including a pick-six and he also had a league-high 23 passes defended. It was an outstanding year that solidified him as the key piece of the Niners secondary.
Now in 2024, Ward has seemed to regress a bit. To be fair, he has dealt with injuries and was unable to suit up for the Week 6 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. His PFF ranking is 53.4 on the year, which is much lower than one would expect when he was the third-highest PFF rated cornerback going into the season.
Compare this to cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who has impressed this season. Lenoir's PFF rating is 63.9 and he had a phenomenal performance against wide receiver D.K. Metcalf of the Seahawks in Week 6, which led him to trash talk the vocal wideout.
Lenoir, like Ward, is also in a contract year and may be playing so well that San Francisco may not be able to afford him.
Many figured Ward would be the one who would play his way out of the 49ers' price range. It is still early, but that has not been the case thus far. Even if he has a down year, he still figures to land a big contract in free agency based on his success in the past.
However, Ward is far off the All-Pro pace he set last year. If he had turned in another season like he did in 2023, he would have set himself up to be the highest-paid cornerback in the game, potentially.
His struggles in 2024 may be costing him millions, if not tens of millions, in free agency.
Ward still seems likely to depart the 49ers in free agency, but there is the potential that if he struggles the rest of this year, he could stay within the Niners' price range even though they have other important priorities this upcoming offseason, chief among them quarterback Brock Purdy's contract extension.
Yet, it is still early. Ward can still turn things around, and the 49ers will need him to because they are going to need a strong secondary if they want to make another run at winning the Super Bowl.
