The Minnesota Vikings proved they could adjust when faced with adversity last season, shuffling the deck at cornerback before the campaign began. Facing similar uncertainty this offseason, the Vikings could fill a need with Charvarius Ward in free agency.
Ward, who turns 29 in May, spent the past three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2023, leading the league with 23 pass deflections and had 5 interceptions. Ward also won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2019 season.
“The Vikings will likely lose both of their outside cornerbacks — Byron Murphy Jr. and Stephon Gilmore — in free agency. Ward makes for a good replacement,” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote on February 28. “He’s solid in both man and zone coverage, and the 49ers played more zone this past season while the Vikings play a lot of zone behind Brian Flores‘ blitz packages.”
“Ward had a below-average coverage DVOA in 12 games in 2024 with only seven passes defended,” Schatz wrote. “But in 2023, he ranked 26th in coverage DVOA, led the NFL with 23 passes defensed and had five interceptions.”
“There are a couple more seasons of prime performance left for him.” Schatz wrote.
Ward heads to free agency off a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the 49ers, and he has earned $46 million in his career.