San Francisco 49ers: 3 options if Jimmie Ward leaves in free agency

The San Francisco 49ers would ideally like to bring back defensive back Jimmie Ward in 2020 before he leaves in NFL free agency. If he does, though, the Niners do have some options.

In an ideal world, the San Francisco 49ers would like to bring back their versatile defensive back, Jimmie Ward, before the soon-to-be free agent hits the open market in March of 2020.

Ward, whose career at the NFL level has been plagued by both injuries and the inconsistency of being shuffled all over the defensive backfield, enjoyed his best season as a pro last year, starting a career-best 13 games, piling up 65 tackles, eight pass breakups and solidifying a Niners secondary, which ranked best against the pass in 2019.

It was quite the turnaround from San Francisco’s top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Yet that turnaround will likely end up being associated with a lucrative new contract in NFL free agency, perhaps somewhere in the range of $8 million annually.

The 49ers have limited resources to re-sign a player like Ward, as well as targeting other pending free agents, such as defensive end Arik Armstead and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. According to Over the Cap, the Niners are slated to have only $12,108,031 in available cap space. That number will likely change, pending some player cuts and contract restructures. But either way, it’s going to be tough for San Francisco to give Ward the money he’ll likely want and has surely earned.

So, what happens if Ward leaves this offseason?

While re-signing Ward remains a priority for general manager John Lynch and Co., there are other options the team might have to explore this offseason.

Niner Noise takes a look at three potential possibilities in the event Ward plays elsewhere in 2020.