Colts sign CB Charvarius Ward to 3 year, $60M contract

[apballin]

Originally Posted by ChaosTheory

If AR throws < 50% and we get out-TOP'd 2:1 game after game... This way will fail, too.

Can’t win going 3 and out, 3 and out, turnover

Doesn’t matter who you have on defense or who the coordinator is

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

More contract details:

https://x.com/JoelAErickson/status/1899828217118109870

Charvarius Ward

Signing bonus: $20M
Guarantee: $34.98M

2025
Base: $2M (Gtd)
Per-game roster bonus: $30K

2026
Base: $12.98M ($5M fully gtd at signing, rest fully gtd if on roster 5th day of '26)
Per-game roster bonus: $30K

2027
Base: $17.49M
Per-game roster bonus: $30K

Up to $2M in incentives per year

The contract has also been updated on Spotrac if you prefer to view it there:

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_...harvarius-ward

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

https://x.com/JoelAErickson/status/1900247742879871328

Charvarius Ward: "I felt like (the Colts) were the most aggressive team"

https://x.com/JoelAErickson/status/1900249689213047142

Ward acknowledges that everything that happened last year to him left him drained mentally throughout the season. "Mentally, I was in Texas with my family, but physically, I was in Santa Clara." For his mind, Ward knew he needed to get out of SF

https://x.com/JoelAErickson/status/1900250557845299202

Ward says Anarumo plans to have him travel with the opponent's best WR.

[Colts And Orioles]

o


In his most recent full season in 2023, Ward led the NFL in Passes Defended (23), and had a career-high 5 INT's.

In 2024 he only played in 12 games, and he may have been playing partially injured in some of them (he had hamstring and knee issues, which caused him to miss 5 games overall.)



Overall, he's had an unexpectedly solid career for an undrafted player who played 2 seasons at Hinds Community College and 2 seasons at lightly-regarded Middle Tennessee State.

o

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles

o


In his most recent full season in 2023, Ward led the NFL in Passes Defended (23), and had a career-high 5 INT's.

In 2024 he only played in 12 games, and he may have been playing partially injured in some of them (he had hamstring and knee issues, which caused him to miss 5 games overall.)



Overall, he's had an unexpectedly solid career for an undrafted player who played 2 seasons at Hinds Community College and 2 seasons at lightly-regarded Middle Tennessee State.

o

In addition to injury issues, Ward also dealt with the passing of his 1 year old daughter, which he said took his mental focus off the game. I feel like Ward is one of the 2 CBs that was available that had CB1 and All-Pro potential (the other being Paulson Adebo), and given everything that happened to Ward last season, positive regression should be expected, and it's reasonable to hope for massive positive regression.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

The Colts continue to spend to upgrade their secondary:


https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1899213676512469294


Former 49ers CB Charvarius Ward reached agreement on a 3-year deal worth up to $60 Million, including $35 Million guaranteed and a $20 Million signing bonus with the Indianapolis Colts.

(Deal negotiated by Kevin Conner and Robert Brown of UniSports Management)

o



(10 MONTHS LATER)



The Colts’ Charvarius Ward on Concussions: ‘If I Walk Away, I Won’t Regret It'

(By Nathan Brown)

https://archive.ph/CHsRr#selection-477.0-493.28



********************************



INDIANAPOLIS – Charvarius Ward bumped his head a couple of days ago and the “crazy” headaches came racing back.

4 weeks removed from his latest concussion – the third of his 2025 season with the Colts, and what he believes is the fourth of his football career – debilitating migraines still linger. And the thoughts – the ones about the dreaded R- word – are again, as they were in October and early November, very real.

The All-Pro cornerback’s father wants his son to retire. Talking to Ward on Monday morning at the Colts facility on locker cleanout day and it’s abundantly clear just how real the prospect is for the 29-year-old who signed a lucrative three-year contract worth $54 million last spring – one that came with a $20 million signing bonus, $27 million in guaranteed money and another $7.98 million guaranteed, so long as he’s on the roster come March 17th.

But that’s no longer assured.

“I don’t know. I’ve got to talk to my family, because if I’m working out, and I bump my head on something – and hopefully I don’t do that and get a headache from something so small,” said Ward, who then admitted he had experienced exactly that only days ago. “We’ll just see how it goes. I’m not trying to have migraines and headaches for the rest of my life.

“My dad wants me to retire but I don’t think I’m gonna. I just have to see how I feel this offseason. But I do know going into next season, if I do come back and play again, if I get one more (concussion), I’ll for sure probably retire. Hopefully, knock-on-wood, I don’t get any more and have to deal with that anymore, but it was crazy dealing with all those headaches. It’s a painful, frustrating thing.”

Ward came to Indianapolis to escape trauma he and his fiancé suffered in San Francisco after their daughter, Amani Joy, died in October of 2024 due to heart issues just shy of her second birthday. Months later, the couple gave birth to another child – a baby boy, Charvarius Jr. – but nearly lost him during the birthing process.

The former undrafted free agent corner out of Middle Tennessee State, who spent his first four years in Kansas City and three with the 49ers, told reporters a year ago as he prepared to enter free agency that he didn’t believe he could return to San Francisco after the debilitating off-field moments. He signed with Indianapolis a couple months later – a team sorely in need of an impact cornerback where he immediately became the focal point of a Lou Anarumo-led unit.

Ward would play all of seven games – held out of Week 2 while in concussion protocol from symptoms that cropped up the day after the team’s season-opening win against Miami before missing five more when he collided in pregame warmups hours ahead of a Week 6 home game with teammate Drew Ogletree in on-field warm-ups.

The hit knocked Ward out and delivering a black eye that was the least of his worries. For the next month, he’d battle dizziness, nausea, light sensitivity and frequent debilitating headaches that had him seriously considering retirement. Eventually, the symptoms waned during the Colts’ Week 11 bye, and Ward returned to play on the road at the Chiefs. He played in the Colts’ next two games.

During that stretch, he was self-critical of his play and told reporters Monday he still was battling some lingering symptoms, even though he’d passed the NFL’s formal concussion protocol process. Then, the full-fledged headaches erupted the Monday after the Colts’ Dec. 7 loss in Jacksonville. The Colts placed Ward on IR, ending his season.

“I’ve had a great career so far. I’m proud of the career I’ve had, and I’ve made a lot of money. I feel like I’m taken care of, and my family’s taken care of, so if I come back or don’t come back, I’m going to be living the life I’ve wanted to live and be happy,” said the 2023 Pro Bowl selection and Second Team All-Pro, who’s made more than $68.5 million over the course of his eight-year career – including $22.51 million this year.

“I think that that’s the most important thing: being happy. It’s football. It’s just a game. It goes away. I want to be a good dad to my kids and a good man to my family. I think that’s the most important thing in my life right now.”

Ward said Monday he feels like he has to make his decision soon, so as not to leave the Colts in limbo. Fellow All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner will return next year after missing much of his back-half stint with a calf injury, and the team also will get rookie Justin Walley back from a torn ACL suffered in training camp when he was in line to start.

“I’m going to talk to my agent, my fiancé, my mom. I already told you my dad said he wants me to retire, but I don’t know if I’m going to listen to him,” he said. “I’ve just got to see how I feel about everything.

“If I walk away, I feel like I’ll be happy. I won a Super Bowl. Played in (more) Super Bowls. Made hella money. Made Pro Bowls. Made All-Pro. I did everything I wanted to do, so I feel like if I walk away, I won’t regret it. Brain injuries, you don’t really see it until you get older sometimes, and I’m a pretty young guy, so the more I beat my brain up, the more it’ll affect me as I get older. I’ve got a lot of life to live outside of football, and I’ve got to think about my family and kids, too.”

o

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles

o



(10 MONTHS LATER)



The Colts’ Charvarius Ward on Concussions: ‘If I Walk Away, I Won’t Regret It'

(By Nathan Brown)

https://archive.ph/CHsRr#selection-477.0-493.28



********************************



INDIANAPOLIS – Charvarius Ward bumped his head a couple of days ago and the “crazy” headaches came racing back.

4 weeks removed from his latest concussion – the third of his 2025 season with the Colts, and what he believes is the fourth of his football career – debilitating migraines still linger. And the thoughts – the ones about the dreaded R- word – are again, as they were in October and early November, very real.

The All-Pro cornerback’s father wants his son to retire. Talking to Ward on Monday morning at the Colts facility on locker cleanout day and it’s abundantly clear just how real the prospect is for the 29-year-old who signed a lucrative three-year contract worth $54 million last spring – one that came with a $20 million signing bonus, $27 million in guaranteed money and another $7.98 million guaranteed, so long as he’s on the roster come March 17th.

But that’s no longer assured.

“I don’t know. I’ve got to talk to my family, because if I’m working out, and I bump my head on something – and hopefully I don’t do that and get a headache from something so small,” said Ward, who then admitted he had experienced exactly that only days ago. “We’ll just see how it goes. I’m not trying to have migraines and headaches for the rest of my life.

“My dad wants me to retire but I don’t think I’m gonna. I just have to see how I feel this offseason. But I do know going into next season, if I do come back and play again, if I get one more (concussion), I’ll for sure probably retire. Hopefully, knock-on-wood, I don’t get any more and have to deal with that anymore, but it was crazy dealing with all those headaches. It’s a painful, frustrating thing.”

Ward came to Indianapolis to escape trauma he and his fiancé suffered in San Francisco after their daughter, Amani Joy, died in October of 2024 due to heart issues just shy of her second birthday. Months later, the couple gave birth to another child – a baby boy, Charvarius Jr. – but nearly lost him during the birthing process.

The former undrafted free agent corner out of Middle Tennessee State, who spent his first four years in Kansas City and three with the 49ers, told reporters a year ago as he prepared to enter free agency that he didn’t believe he could return to San Francisco after the debilitating off-field moments. He signed with Indianapolis a couple months later – a team sorely in need of an impact cornerback where he immediately became the focal point of a Lou Anarumo-led unit.

Ward would play all of seven games – held out of Week 2 while in concussion protocol from symptoms that cropped up the day after the team’s season-opening win against Miami before missing five more when he collided in pregame warmups hours ahead of a Week 6 home game with teammate Drew Ogletree in on-field warm-ups.

The hit knocked Ward out and delivering a black eye that was the least of his worries. For the next month, he’d battle dizziness, nausea, light sensitivity and frequent debilitating headaches that had him seriously considering retirement. Eventually, the symptoms waned during the Colts’ Week 11 bye, and Ward returned to play on the road at the Chiefs. He played in the Colts’ next two games.

During that stretch, he was self-critical of his play and told reporters Monday he still was battling some lingering symptoms, even though he’d passed the NFL’s formal concussion protocol process. Then, the full-fledged headaches erupted the Monday after the Colts’ Dec. 7 loss in Jacksonville. The Colts placed Ward on IR, ending his season.

“I’ve had a great career so far. I’m proud of the career I’ve had, and I’ve made a lot of money. I feel like I’m taken care of, and my family’s taken care of, so if I come back or don’t come back, I’m going to be living the life I’ve wanted to live and be happy,” said the 2023 Pro Bowl selection and Second Team All-Pro, who’s made more than $68.5 million over the course of his eight-year career – including $22.51 million this year.

“I think that that’s the most important thing: being happy. It’s football. It’s just a game. It goes away. I want to be a good dad to my kids and a good man to my family. I think that’s the most important thing in my life right now.”

Ward said Monday he feels like he has to make his decision soon, so as not to leave the Colts in limbo. Fellow All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner will return next year after missing much of his back-half stint with a calf injury, and the team also will get rookie Justin Walley back from a torn ACL suffered in training camp when he was in line to start.

“I’m going to talk to my agent, my fiancé, my mom. I already told you my dad said he wants me to retire, but I don’t know if I’m going to listen to him,” he said. “I’ve just got to see how I feel about everything.

“If I walk away, I feel like I’ll be happy. I won a Super Bowl. Played in (more) Super Bowls. Made hella money. Made Pro Bowls. Made All-Pro. I did everything I wanted to do, so I feel like if I walk away, I won’t regret it. Brain injuries, you don’t really see it until you get older sometimes, and I’m a pretty young guy, so the more I beat my brain up, the more it’ll affect me as I get older. I’ve got a lot of life to live outside of football, and I’ve got to think about my family and kids, too.”

o

o


Ward has decided to continue playing ..... and I'm not surprised.

Some may wonder why Ward, whose $100 Million in career earnings (in addition to the pension that he has coming top him someday) will likely give him financial security for life, would continue to play such a violent game when he has already won a Super Bowl title, been an All-Pro, and has a solid legacy secured would risk his health to continue playing. While the risk-reward of continuing to play professional football doesn't seem worth it to most people, it reminds me of something that my Uncle Jimmy told me when Billy Conn was asked why he went for the KO of heavyweight champion Joe Louis when he led comfortably on all of the judges' scorecards and was assured of a victory if he simply survived the last 3 rounds of the fight.

Billy Conn was a great, 169-pounbd boxer who was the light-heavyweight champion of the world. Joe Louis was a 205-pound brutal puncher who reigned as the heavyweight champion of the world for a record 12 years (1937 through 1949.) When Conn challenged Louis for his heavyweight title, he was thoroughly outboxing the legend for the first 12 rounds of their 15-round fight. In the 13th round, Conn inexplicably went for the knockout, and chose to go toe-to-toe with Louis. Late in the round, Louis caught up with Conn and put him down for the count to just barely retain his world championship. Several days after the fight, Conn explained why he went for the KO when he had the title and immortality in the cusp of his hands. He said, l "I got here by being an Irish tough guy from Pittsburgh. I ALWAYS went for the knockout under any and all circumstances, and that's how I got where I was, challenging Joe Louis for the most prestigious world championship in all of sports. I wouldn't be here in the first place if I was the kind of guy who would play it safe in the second place ...... so the reason why I went for the knockout instead of taking the easy win is because that's who I am, and that's what I do."


Similarly, in my rat's ass of an opinion, the reason why Charvarius Ward is choosing to continue playing professional football in spite of what seems to be the more prudent decision to retire and protect his long-term health is because that is who Charvarius Ward is, and that is what Charvarius Ward does.

o

[apballin]

Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles

o


Ward has decided to continue playing ..... and I'm not surprised.

Some may wonder why Ward, whose $100 Million in career earnings (in addition to the pension that he has coming top him someday) will likely give him financial security for life, would continue to play such a violent game when he has already won a Super Bowl title, been an All-Pro, and has a solid legacy secured would risk his health to continue playing. While the risk-reward of continuing to play professional football doesn't seem worth it to most people, it reminds me of something that my Uncle Jimmy told me when Billy Conn was asked why he went for the KO of heavyweight champion Joe Louis when he led comfortably on all of the judges' scorecards and was assured of a victory if he simply survived the last 3 rounds of the fight.

Billy Conn was a great, 169-pounbd boxer who was the light-heavyweight champion of the world. Joe Louis was a 205-pound brutal puncher who reigned as the heavyweight champion of the world for a record 12 years (1937 through 1949.) When Conn challenged Louis for his heavyweight title, he was thoroughly outboxing the legend for the first 12 rounds of their 15-round fight. In the 13th round, Conn inexplicably went for the knockout, and chose to go toe-to-toe with Louis. Late in the round, Louis caught up with Conn and put him down for the count to just barely retain his world championship. Several days after the fight, Conn explained why he went for the KO when he had the title and immortality in the cusp of his hands. He said, l "I got here by being an Irish tough guy from Pittsburgh. I ALWAYS went for the knockout under any and all circumstances, and that's how I got where I was, challenging Joe Louis for the most prestigious world championship in all of sports. I wouldn't be here in the first place if I was the kind of guy who would play it safe in the second place ...... so the reason why I went for the knockout instead of taking the easy win is because that's who I am, and that's what I do."


Similarly, in my rat's ass of an opinion, the reason why Charvarius Ward is choosing to continue playing professional football in spite of what seems to be the more prudent decision to retire and protect his long-term health is because that is who Charvarius Ward is, and that is what Charvarius Ward does.

o

That’s all fine and dandy Darius Leonard was a hell of a football player too and that’s also what he “did” until he became a shell of himself and the Colts tried to convince him to retire and he decided he is who he is and tried to continue playing and we see how that worked out.

I hope I’m dead wrong about Ward but he definitely wasn’t the same player after the concussions and he was definitely shying away from tackling so I’m not very hopeful that he will amount to anything at all next season

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by apballin

I hope I’m dead wrong about Ward.

o


I hope so, too.

o