The San Francisco 49ers' priority this offseason remains a contract extension with Brandon Aiyuk, who is almost certain to remain with the team after the 2024 NFL Draft passed without a trade of the All-Pro wide receiver.
But that won't be the only deal they'll look to do before the season starts, general manager John Lynch having already stated a desire to extend another wideout in Jauan Jennings, whom they tendered at a second-round level earlier in the offseason.
And it would likely behoove them to get a long-term deal done with one of their top defenders from last season.
Charvarius Ward is a free agent next offseason, when the 49ers face the prospect of both their starting cornerbacks hitting the open market. Deommodore Lenoir is also bound for free agency.
The 49ers took Florida State corner Renardo Green in the second round of the draft, a move made seemingly with a potential departure of Ward or Lenoir in mind.
San Francisco is unlikely to be able to pay both Ward and Lenoir in an offseason that may see them make quarterback Brock Purdy the highest-paid player in football.
But losing Ward would be doubly painful for the 49ers, as A to Z Sports' contract experts Josh Queipo And Kyle DeDiminicantanio explained in their projection of what he could receive in an extension from San Francisco.
"Ward holds some leverage in the 49ers having spread $12,298,000 of prorated bonuses over three void years, which will accelerate to their 2025 dead cap if they aren’t able to retain him. If they structure a back-loaded deal they’ll actually achieve some savings by extending him, whether it happens in 2024 or before the start of free agency next year."
In other words, the 49ers will have Ward counting against the cap in 2025 regardless of whether he is on their roster. With a potentially massive Purdy extension on the horizon, it would not be advantageous to have a dead cap hit limiting the Niners' room for maneuver in what will likely be a very challenging offseason.
Queipo and DeDiminicantanio's projection for a potential Ward extension came in at three years, $49.5 million, giving him an average annual value of $16.5 million.
That may seem like a lofty number for a cornerback who will be approaching his age-29 season next year. However, as Queipo and DeDiminicantanio laid out, that AAV would represent a middle ground between veteran deals signed by corners in their 30s like Darius Slay and James Bradberry and top of market deals like the $19million per year given to Jaylon Johnson by the Chicago Bears.
And Ward would gain more leverage in potential talks if he puts together another excellent season after being named second-team All-Pro in 2023, potentially making a deal even more difficult to do given he would have plenty of suitors on the open market.
Ward has established himself as a corner who can lockdown receivers and essentially take away one side of the field. Such players can be very hard to come by and, with Ward set to count against their cap whatever happens next offseason, there is no upside to letting him walk.
Aiyuk is the priority, but the 49ers would be extremely smart to get out in front of things with Ward by signing him to an extension that could quickly look like great value if he continues his ascension.
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