The Indianapolis Colts continued to make moves to bolster their secondary Monday, reaching an agreement with former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward on a three-year contract worth up to $60 million.
The deal includes $35 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, Ward's agents, Kevin Conner and Robert Brown of Universal Sports Management, told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Sources earlier told ESPN's Dan Graziano that the Colts are expected to sign free agent safety Camryn Bynum once free agency opens Wednesday.
Ward, 28, is coming off a difficult season with the 49ers in which he missed three games while grieving the death of his 1-year-old daughter. He played in five of the team's final six games, sitting out the Dec. 30 loss to the Detroit Lions to attend the birth of son, Charvarius Jr., in Dallas.
After the season, Ward opened up about his grieving process and said it would be difficult to return to the 49ers given the trauma he and his partner dealt with in the Bay Area. Ward said in January that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress that includes vomiting and waking up in a sweat in the middle of the night after his daughter's death.
Despite the difficult finish to his time with the Niners, Ward was one of the team's best free agent additions in recent seasons. Signed to a three-year, $42.5 million deal in March 2022, Ward played what he called the best two seasons of his career in 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, Ward received his first Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro spot as he had 72 tackles, five interceptions and a forced fumble. The 49ers always figured to have a difficult decision on which cornerback to keep, with fellow starter Deommodore Lenoir also slated to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
But the Niners signed Lenoir to a five-year extension worth up to $92 million in November, which made retaining Ward unlikely.
Ward has 10 interceptions and 70 passes defended in a seven-season career that began with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
In another deal for Indianapolis on Monday, the Colts brought back wide receiver Ashton Dulin with a two-year contract worth up to $8.5 million, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
ESPN's Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.