Charvarius Ward’s time with the San Francisco 49ers may be coming to an end this offseason.
As the cornerback decides what’s next for him in his NFL career as he enters free agency, he revealed Monday that he may not want to return to the Bay Area next season. The heartbreaking reason, he said, is not because of anything the 49ers did.
Instead, it’s due to post-traumatic stress disorder, which she said she still suffers from after the loss of her 1-year-old daughter a few months ago.
Charvarius Mooney Ward goes into detail about the possibility of returning to the #49ers next year, but also the PTSD she has from being here and the trauma she suffered from losing a child. pic.twitter.com/5hXhtxDjxN
– Matt Animated (@mattblilly) January 6, 2025
“I suffered a lot of trauma in California,” he said, via Matt Lively of CBS Sports Bay Area. “I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that ever happened to me… happened in California.
“I only bring back bad memories. Every time I get on a plane and return to California (Santa Clara, San Jose), it brings back bad memories. “I go through it every day.”
Ward announced in October that his daughter, Amani Joy, had died. No cause of death was given. He was born with two holes in his heart, he revealed last year, and needed surgery. She had previously announced that she was also born with Down syndrome.
Ward said his wife left the state after losing their daughter, and that loss still hits him hard even months later. He has been living alone until the end of the season.
“I suffer a lot from post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said. “I vomit and wake up in the middle of the night sweating all the time. Things like that. “It’s hard.”
Ward recorded 54 total tackles last season, his third with the 49ers. He started with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 after going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State. The 29-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season. Ward signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract to join the 49ers ahead of the 2022 season.
While he said he wasn’t totally against signing a new deal with the 49ers, he said that would likely depend on whether “I can get over a lot of that trauma.” If he had the choice, he said he would prefer to play closer to his family.
“Things can change,” Ward said. “I can become stronger. “I’ll probably get over this (eventually), but we’ll see.”