Charvarius Ward didn’t completely rule out a return to San Francisco next season, but after dealing with one of the most painful years of his life, the 49ers cornerback sounded like a man looking for a fresh start.
Ward, 28, is headed into unrestricted free agency in March after spending the past three seasons with the 49ers.
The tragic passing of his daughter Amani Joy just shy of her second birthday cast a dark cloud over Ward’s final season in the Bay Area, he told reporters.
Joy passed away after a battle with heart issues, according to ESPN, and the tragedy has caused Ward to have “a lot of trauma in California.”
“I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, that’s probably going to ever happen to me — knock on wood — happened in California,” Ward said. “It can just bring up bad memories. Every time I get on a plane and come back to California, Santa Clara, San Jose, and show up here, it just brings up bad memories.
“I go through that every day. I go home every night by myself because my girl, she doesn’t want to come back to California because of what happened. So, it is hard being alone, and she’s my strength right now. I need her, and so her not being able to be around me if I’m in California, it’d be tough.”
Ward announced his daughter’s death in an Instagram post on Oct. 29 and took time away from the team following the tragedy.
He missed three games before coming back last month for the 49ers game against the Bills.
Ward said that he still deals with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I be throwing up, waking up in the middle of the night all the time sweating. Stuff like that. It’s tough,” he said.
Ward finished the 2024 season with 54 total tackles.
There was a glimmer of optimism that he could come back with the Niners expressing a desire to bring him back.
“I’ll probably get over this [eventually], but we’ll see,” he said.
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