Charvarius Ward recently expressed his desire for a lucrative contract, whether it be with the San Francisco 49ers or another team. He understands the need to perform at his best this season to secure that deal.
"But I just got to go out there, have my best year, be better than last year," Ward recently told Kay Adams. "I'll let that go take care of itself. Yeah, hopefully, I get that bag next year. We'll see."
Ward is entering the final year of the three-year contract he signed with the 49ers in 2022. Despite playing through a core muscle injury last season, the veteran cornerback earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.
"I was balling the second half of the season, so it really didn't take much of a toll on me, it seemed like it," Ward told reporters on Tuesday.
Although Ward has sat out practices during the 49ers' offseason program, including this week's minicamp, he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.
While the media has focused on the tough decisions the 49ers will face with their wide receivers, particularly Deebo Samuel, a similar choice looms at cornerback. Ward will likely seek top-tier money, but the team also has emerging star Deommodore Lenoir.
After the upcoming season, Ward will see what his NFL future holds. He knows his worth but hopes a return to the 49ers is possible.
"Yeah, I'd like to stick around," Ward said. "I feel like it's a good team. They love me here. I love it here. I love all the coaches, love my teammates, but I just let my agent handle it. That's the business side of things. I'll just do my job, go out there and ball, put the pressure on them. Hopefully, they give me a bag.
"If they don't, I know it won't be like any bad blood between me and them. It's just like it'll be a business decision, but I'm pretty sure they'd like to have me, and I'd like to stay here, for sure."
Ward can pressure the 49ers by delivering an impressive performance in 2024. He acknowledges room for improvement, particularly in finishing plays.
"Capitalize on a lot of missed opportunities I had last year," Ward commented. "I felt like I could have had almost 10 interceptions last year. So I want to just make more plays, try to become more of a leader, more of a talker. I'm kind of like the old head of the DB group now.
"So yeah, just become more of a leader and make more plays, be better than I was last year."