The San Francisco 49ers' newest cornerback, Charvarius Ward, spoke with reporters on Thursday via Zoom. He is a rich man, reportedly given a three-year contract worth up to $42 million to bolster the team's cornerback group. Ward plans to use his newfound riches to buy his mother a house. After that, he'll be smart with the rest and plans to invest and save.
"I'm going to get some more dogs, though," Ward added. "I like dogs."
Below are some football-related topics that Ward touched on during the nearly 10-minute discussion.
Why he picked the 49ers
"Talented team. Great coaches," Ward said. "Great players. I feel like I fit in well here. It's a perfect fit, in my opinion."
Hip injury as a kid
Ward underwent surgery to remove a cyst in his hip bone during his grade school years. That kept him out of sports for a while.
"It was an obstacle as a kid," Ward said. "I was on crutches and a wheelchair. It was kind of foreign territory to me. I was kind of handicapped at a very young age. I feel like it made me stronger growing up. It made me closer with my family as well. They had to take care of me, helped me do all kinds of things that I couldn't do on my own, just being handicapped like that. It made me a stronger kid, and a better man, I guess."
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What has he learned from his time in the NFL?
"I learned how to play the game, be a true professional," Ward said. "I've gotten better every year I've been in the NFL. There's a lot of great receivers in the NFL, and I just knew I had to up my game to be a great corner in the NFL."
What he brings to the 49ers
"I don't feel like they lacking in much," Ward said of his new team. "I'm going to just bring a lot of energy, a lot of joy, a lot of enthusiasm, just young talent. The coaching staff, they seem happy to have me. I'm happy to be here, and I'm ready to get this thing started."
When asked if he has experience playing in the slot, Ward said he has experience doing everything.
"I've been in the NFL four years. I've covered inside, outside," Ward said. "I've blitzed a little bit. Whatever this coaching staff wants me to do, I promise you, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability, and they won't be disappointed. Nor will the fans be disappointed."
Playing press coverage
"That's my specialty," Ward said. "I work on it a lot in the offseason. That's why this coaching staff brought me here, so I'm going to continue to excel in that and get better in that."
Going against the Rams' talented receivers
Ward says he is excited about the challenge of going up against the Los Angeles Rams wide receivers who added Allen Robinson to a talented group that already included Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr.
"They got talent, but we got talent too," Ward said. "So may the better man win. I'm going to bet on myself."
Emotions of free agency
"I was crying," Ward said of learning he was headed to the 49ers. "I was so overwhelmed with emotion. When my agent first told me the deal was done, I just started shaking. I don't know why I was shaking, but I was just shaking, and tears started streaming down my face because all that hard work finally paid off. I came from a long way. Growing up, it was rough. So now, to be living your dream, to be paid to play football, it's just a dream come true.
"It's not a job. It's something I love to do. I'm just thankful for the 49ers in believing in me, giving me the opportunity to just come here and play ball."