The Kansas City Chiefs have officially lost their first free agent of the legal tampering period.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward is set to sign with the San Franciso 49ers in free agency. He’ll sign a three-year deal worth up to $42 million with over $26 million in guaranteed money.
Former Chiefs’ CB Charvarious Ward intends to sign a three-year deal worth up to $42 million including $26.7 million guaranteed with the San Francisco 49ers, his agency @UniSportsMgmt told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2022
Former fourth-round draft pick, Parker Ehinger, was traded to the Cowboys in order to acquire Ward in 2018. Ward was an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee, which sparked criticism at the time, but ultimately worked out for Kansas City. Ward spent the majority of his rookie season riding the bench as a healthy scratch until an injury to Kendall Fuller opened an opportunity for Ward to get some starting time late in the 2018 NFL season.
Ever since, Ward has been a defensive fixture in Kansas City, starting 43 regular-season games over the past four seasons. He recorded 222 total tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, 29 passes defended and four interceptions during that span.
This is a well-deserved payday for Ward, but the Chiefs now have a need at the cornerback position. He was one of the team’s matchup pieces on the outside against size/speed receivers. They’ll now need to find someone in free agency and the draft to play a similar role for this defense.
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