NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
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Indianapolis Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward endured emotional turmoil during the final year of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers. The veteran defender lost his 1-year-old daughter in Oct. 2024 to heart problems and missed three games after her death. Once he returned to the field for the final few weeks of the season, he was not the same.

Ward's daughter, Amani Joy, was born prematurely with Down Syndrome in Nov. 2023 and battled heart issues since her birth. She underwent open-heart surgery in April 2024 and died just before her second birthday.

"Once I came back," Ward said, via The Athletic, "every game after that, I was just like, 'I don't give a f---- what happens. I don't care if I win this rep; I don't care if I lose this rep.' I was there physically, but mentally, I was somewhere off the grid, off the globe."

While he struggled emotionally, Ward remained a productive pass defender. He posted a pair of pass breakups in the five regular-season games after his return and notched his lone tackle for loss of the year.

Ward was a staple in the 49ers lineup outside of last season's three-game absence. He played in and started every game in his first two years with the franchise, including six playoff games in 2022 and 2023. That was after he cemented himself as a stalwart on the Kansas City Chiefs defense over four years to open his career.

Ward's best season to date came with the 49ers in 2023 when he amassed an NFL-best 23 pass breakups and hauled in five interceptions, which was also by far a career high.

The three years in San Francisco earned Ward a larger contract in free agency. He signed this offseason with the Colts on a three-year deal worth $54 million and just shy of $35 million guaranteed. And ahead of his debut season with his third franchise, Ward said he is in a better place than he was in the immediate wake of his daughter's death.

"I'm doing good, man -- physically, mentally and emotionally," said Ward. "I'm doing way better than what I was. At first, it was hard to see the light at the end of that tunnel, but I kind of got my joy back, my happiness back, my smile back, and everything like that. I've got a lot of optimism right now."

Ward projects to start across from Jaylon Jones at the cornerback spot and could be a boon to a defense that ranked just 26th last season against the pass.