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The Indianapolis Colts landed cornerback Charvarius Ward in free agency. However, as Ward described recently, he almost ended up signing with the New Orleans Saints instead.
On an appearance on 107.5 FM The Fan in Indianapolis, Ward mentioned that a deal with the Saints was "almost done."
“Originally, I thought I was going to New Orleans," Ward said. "The deal was almost done. Then the Colts, I guess they realized how great of a player I am, and they came in and kind of beat out the Saints at the last minute.”
James Boyd, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, said that his interpretation of this is that Indianapolis "upped their offer" to land Ward. Boyd adds that the $35 million guaranteed is more than any total money the team has ever offered an outside free agent during GM Chris Ballard's tenure.
Fixing the secondary was obviously a top priority for Ballard, and Ward was one of the top free-agent cornerbacks available, just one year removed from an All-Pro season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
The signings of Ward and Camryn Bynum, on their own, showcase a shift from how the Colts have operated recently when it comes to free agency. But the additional push that Ballard made to sign Ward is another example of that, as well as the urgency that he is operating under to turn this Colts team around.
If this same scenario unfolded in 2024, I don't know that the Colts would have landed Ward.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts free agency: Charvarius Ward 'almost' signed with Saints
Continue reading...
On an appearance on 107.5 FM The Fan in Indianapolis, Ward mentioned that a deal with the Saints was "almost done."
“Originally, I thought I was going to New Orleans," Ward said. "The deal was almost done. Then the Colts, I guess they realized how great of a player I am, and they came in and kind of beat out the Saints at the last minute.”
James Boyd, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, said that his interpretation of this is that Indianapolis "upped their offer" to land Ward. Boyd adds that the $35 million guaranteed is more than any total money the team has ever offered an outside free agent during GM Chris Ballard's tenure.
Fixing the secondary was obviously a top priority for Ballard, and Ward was one of the top free-agent cornerbacks available, just one year removed from an All-Pro season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
The signings of Ward and Camryn Bynum, on their own, showcase a shift from how the Colts have operated recently when it comes to free agency. But the additional push that Ballard made to sign Ward is another example of that, as well as the urgency that he is operating under to turn this Colts team around.
If this same scenario unfolded in 2024, I don't know that the Colts would have landed Ward.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts free agency: Charvarius Ward 'almost' signed with Saints
Continue reading...
