Several members of the San Francisco 49ers have gone public about how difficult this past season was inside the locker room. Typically, the 49ers are one of the NFL’s powerhouses under coach Kyle Shanahan. He’s led them to two Super Bowl appearances. One even came in 2023.
Their recent success has many expecting the 49ers would return to the pinnacle this year, but the season started off on the wrong foot after Christian McCaffrey was limited to just four games due to an Achilles injury.
While Jordan Mason helped the team finish with a top-15 rushing offense, there were several other injuries and extreme factors that prevented the 49ers from playing their best, resulting in an underwhelming 6-11 season. It was just the first time the team missed the playoffs in the past four years.
The 49ers have several key free agents set to hit the open market, and there’s a strong sense that many won’t be returning in 2025. One of them, a Pro Bowl talent, even recently admitted that he’s very unlikely to return.
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Charvarius Ward traumatized about potential return to San Francisco 49ers
Charvarius Ward was never supposed to be a star player. After all, he went undrafted out of Middle Tennessee in 2017. But that didn’t prevent the Kansas City Chiefs from giving the Mississippi native a chance.
Ward quickly developed into a starter for a championship contender in Kansas City, but after four strong seasons, he became a free agent at the age of 25. Once available, the San Francisco 49ers pounced, signing the corner to a lucrative three-year, $42 million contract, indicating he’d be starting on one of the NFL’s best defenses.
Ward started all 46 games he appeared in with the 49ers, but now that the three-year contract is complete, he’s ready to be a free agent again. Yet, it doesn’t sound like he wants to return to California, though he has a good reason.
He had two kids with his girlfriend, but one of them, Amani, was born prematurely and was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. She also struggled with various heart issues before passing away on October 1st of 2024. That traumatizing experience left a lasting impact on Ward and his family, and now he can’t see himself returning to the 49ers or the state of California.
Charvarius Mooney Ward goes into detail about potentially coming back to the #49ers next year, but also the PTSD he has from being here and the trauma he suffered of losing a child. pic.twitter.com/5hXhtxDjxN
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) January 6, 2025
If he’s looking to avoid California, that wipes out 3-out-of-32 teams, meaning the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers may all be out of contention from signing one of the top cornerbacks on the market.