Charvarius Ward needs a contract extension sooner than you think

The Kansas City Chiefs might want to think about a contract extension sooner than later for cornerback Charvarius Ward.

With the NFL draft and free agency around the corner, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be deliberating on extending contracts, releasing players, and possible draft additions. Most of the chatter surrounding the Chiefs this offseason has been the contract status of stars like Chris Jones, Sammy Watkins, and Patrick Mahomes. However, the offseason also allows the Chiefs to examine every player on their roster, not just those whose contracts have expired.

Now is a time to take a magnifying glass and examine the roster, the one that won a Super Bowl, to assess who should be a part of the team’s future plans.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward is one of the unsung heroes of this year’s Super Bowl run. Somewhat forgotten behind superb seasons of defensive players like Tyrann Matthieu or Chris Jones, the second-year cornerback had a quietly stellar season. He boasted some impressive stats. When targeted, he allowed a 47.2 completion percentage from opposing quarterbacks. Further, he allowed a 65.2 passer rating when targeted. Among all cornerbacks, he ranked 7th in solo tackles with 64.

For context, Stephon Gilmore, widely considered the best cornerback in the NFL, allowed a completion percentage of 50.5 and a passer rating of 44.1 last year. The point is that Ward has shown himself a quality starter at a crucial position. He’s known as a good teammate, and his improvement in Steve Spagnoulo‘s system bodes well for more improvement from Ward.

Part of what makes Ward an interesting player is his age. Ward is only 23. What’s even more interesting is that his contract, set to expire in 2021, will owe him $660K in 2020. It takes no leap of logic to see that Ward has wildly outperformed this contract. Most players who guard DeAndre Hopkins are earning more than $660,000 per season.

Beyond this year, Ward is scheduled to be a restricted free agent and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Chiefs put a first round tender on Ward to keep other teams from trying to sign him away (or else owe the Chiefs a first round pick). To do so would be to raise his salary to approximately $4.7 million (the figure will change in 2021).

Obviously the Chiefs are in a place where they need to be mindful of the salary cap, with decisions about players like Sammy Watkins looming, but a new contract for Ward should happen soon. A moderate extension, one that would lock up Ward for a few years without straining the team too much, makes a lot of sense for both sides, providing security and more money in the interim for Ward while giving the Chiefs a good price on someone who will be much more expensive down the road.

If Ward gets a new deal, the Chiefs can rest knowing they’ve secured a quality starter, but the kind of money Ward would command wouldn’t restrict the Chiefs much. They should still be able to invest money on the defense moving forward.  His youth and demonstrated improvement should be enough to convince Chiefs brass that Ward belongs on the team long-term, while an early extension is a show of good will for an impressive young player.