The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed safety Jimmie Ward to a three-year deal, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL and Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Caplan was the first to report the news while Wagoner was the first to report the length of the deal.
Ian Rapoport later reported that the deal is worth up to $28.5 million.
#49ers are re-signing S Jimmie Ward, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 17, 2020
#49ers are retaining S Jimmie Ward with a new 3-year deal, per league source. Don't have terms just yet. @caplannfl was on it first.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 17, 2020
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 move comes after the 49ers re-signed defensive lineman Arik Armstead to a five-year deal and tackle Shon Coleman to a one-year deal, and traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts.
Ward, 28, expressed interest in returning to the 49ers when asked about his future during the week after the Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
"This is a team I would like to play for," Ward said. "They drafted me. I got injured a couple of years (four), and they still gave me an opportunity to show what I could do. I ended up getting 16 games (including playoffs) this year. It was a little different, but I got it."
Ward also stated that he prefers to remain at safety rather than being moved around to different defensive back positions, as has been the case throughout his career.
The 49ers made Ward the No. 30 overall selection in 2014 after playing college football at Northern Illinois. He registered 65 combined tackles, a sack, and eight passes defensed through 13 regular-season starts with the 49ers in 2019. His Pro Football Focus grade of 84.9 — the sixth-highest graded safety — was the best of his career.
Ward has recorded 251 combined tackles, three sacks, 29 passes defensed, two interceptions, a touchdown, and two forced fumbles through his six NFL seasons.
For just the second time in his NFL career, Ward finished a season without landing on injured reserve.