Predicting which pending free agents 49ers re-sign in 2020
By Peter Panacy
Defensive Back Jimmie Ward
The 49ers finally got the kind of first-round NFL Draft-pick production they’d been seeking ever since they selected defensive back Jimmie Ward in 2014.
And Ward was fully healthy, too, locking down one of the most crucial positions in coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense: free safety.
Ward already told reporters he wants to stay in San Francisco and continue playing free safety, especially after the Niners defense ranked No. 1 against the pass in 2019. But considering he’ll be eligible to cash in on a career-best year, Ward’s NFL free agency stock value has never been higher.
Exactly how far apart will the 49ers and Ward be this offseason? It’s anyone’s guess.
Yet Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch believed in Ward a little less than a year ago, bringing him back on a one-year deal, which was subsequently backed up by Ward’s stellar play. Because of that, combined with a relatively weak safety class in the NFL Draft, there’s a strong possibility Ward comes back on a multi-year deal.