The New Orleans Saints were apparently about to sign cornerback Charvarius Ward until some last-minute intervention.
Ward, 28, wound up signing a three-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts on March 12 worth a reported $60 million dollars. The Colts had stepped in with their offer at the last second. Prior to that, it appeared as if Ward was about to sign with New Orleans.
This was revealed by Charvarius Ward himself. In an interview with 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis, Ward stated that he was prepared to add his name to a contract with the Saints until the Colts swooped in with their offer.
''The deal was almost done and then, I guess, the Colts realized how great of a player I am and they came in and beat out the Saints at the last minute. It happened pretty fast. Like I said, I thought I was going to end up in New Orleans, close to home, I grew up 2 hours from New Orleans. But it didn’t happen, and I’m happy to be with the Colts''
The move would have made sense for the Saints. New Orleans had just lost cornerback Paulson Adebo in free agency the day before and obviously saw Ward as his viable replacement.
Charvarius Ward played at McComb High School in Mississippi, a couple hours from New Orleans. After two years at Hinds Community College, he'd transfer to Middle Tennessee State.
In 2018, the Dallas Cowboys added Ward as an undrafted rookie. They'd trade him to the Dallas Cowboys just before the start of the 2018-19 regular season. He'd work his way into the Chiefs starting lineup by the end of that year and was a fixture there for the next four years.
In four seasons with Kansas City, Ward had four interceptions and broke up 29 throws while allowing 53.3% completion percentage when targeted. After the 2021-22 season, Ward was signed to a free agent deal by the San Francisco 49ers.
Ward has been with San Francisco for the last three years. Over that time, he intercepted six passes while breaking up 41 others and giving up 56.6% completion percentage when targeted. Ward's best year was 2023, when he recorded five interceptions and broke up an NFL-best 23 throws.
After losing out on Ward, the Saints signed CB Isaac Yiadom, his teammate in San Francisco last season. Yiadom also played for New Orleans in 2022 and 2023.
