Charvarius Ward has spent the last several years putting together one of the most remarkable playing careers for anyone who entered the league as an undrafted prospect. Following Week 18, the veteran cornerback admitted the NFL chapter of his story might be coming to an end.
One year ago, Ward was an exciting new addition to the Indianapolis Colts' secondary. After signing a lucrative deal in free agency, the Colts were leaning on Ward to anchor a new-look defensive backfield that would also eventually add Sauce Gardner to the mix after a blockbuster midseason trade. Together with Kenny Moore, Indy' pass coverage looked like the envy of the league—at least on paper.
Unfortunately for Ward, thw 2025 turned out to be one disastrous physical turn after another. With three documented concussions this season, Ward has every reason to consider life beyond the game through a reflective lens about what's most important to him in the long run.
The veteran cornerback says everything is on the table at this point, including returning to the game for a ninth season or walking away from it all.
On Monday morning, Ward was asked about his season and the considerations he's making at this stage of his NFL career. He was open about the possibility of walking away from it all and said his father is already asking him to retire.
"My daddy told me to retire, but I don't know, I don't think I'm gonna do it," said Ward. "I just gotta see how I feel this offseason. I know going into next season, if I do come back and play again, if I get one more, I'll for sure probably retire if I get one more concussion. But hopefully, knock on wood, I don't get no more concussions. I don't have to deal with that anymore. But it was crazy, though, just dealing with all those headaches offseason. It's a painful, frustrating thing. Hopefully, I don't have to go through that again."
The Kansas City Chiefs were the first team to give Ward a chance to play meaningful reps. Acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason trade before the 2018 season for offensive lineman Parker Ehinger, Ward played in 56 regular-season games over four seasons in K.C. and became well-respected defender in the process. That earned him a $42 million free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Ward also admitted that his decision is not only his to make. He's got a family to consider as well. "With the brain injuries, you don't really see it until you get older sometimes. I'm still a pretty young guy, and the more I beat my brain up, the more it'll affect me as I get older. So I mean, I got a lot of life to live out of football. I got to think about my family and kids, too."
After eight NFL seasons, Ward is set financially and even made the Pro Bowl in 2023 when he led the NFL with 23 pass deflections. At this point, Ward is uncertain whether or not he will retire or return. But his explanation also revealed that the situation is tender at this point, with even offseason sensitivities that might make the decision clear.
"If I be working out, if I bump my head on something this offseason, hopefully I don't do that, and I get a headache from just something small like that," said Ward. "I mean, it's gonna be something to think about, because I did hit my head a few days ago, and I got a crazy headache. So we'll just see how it goes. I'm not trying to deal with migraines and headaches for the rest of my life.