© Kelley L Cox | 2020 Jan 11
One of the great questions of the 49ers offseason has been answered, and swiftly at that. After Arik Armstead was extended for a six-year deal (effectively five, with a voidable sixth year) and DeForest Buckner was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for the 13th overall pick on Monday morning, the 49ers continued their business into the night, reportedly bringing back Jimmie Ward on a three-year deal.
According to multiple sources (Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle, Matt Barrows of The Athletic and Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports), Ward will return to the 49ers for three years.
#49ers have signed FS Jimmie Ward to a three-year deal, league source said.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) March 17, 2020
The deal was first reported by Adam Caplan.
#49ers are re-signing S Jimmie Ward, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 17, 2020
Ward returned to the 49ers on a one-year, $4.5 million deal last season after playing out his fifth-year option in 2018. He played the first 16-game of his career in 2020, though the final three games were all through the playoffs. He missed the three opening games of the year after a freak injury in which he fractured his finger.
According to Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth $28.5 million. It’s surprising only because of the fact that Ward has been so frequently injured in his career, but not for the quality of his play. He and Jaquiski Tartt (who will be a free agent next year) have played together since high school, and when they were on the field together, it raised the level of the defense substantially. Ward was a massive part of why the 49ers had arguably the best pass defense in the league (and allowed the fewest passing yards per game).
That amount makes his per-year average $9.5 million, good for 13th-best in the NFL. One factor that may have helped Ward is that Vikings safety Anthony Harris was franchise tagged, and Devin McCourty was re-signed by the Patriots, taking two of the projected top safeties off the board quickly.
The #49ers are giving safety Jimmie Ward a 3-year deal worth $28.5M, source said. He was a priority for that defense.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
The last key remaining free agent on the 49ers’ docket is Emmanuel Sanders, who head coach Kyle Shanahan said he wanted back “bad,” but could potentially cost more than can be afforded, depending on how the Ward contract is structured.