After the San Francisco 49ers finished with their 2021 campaign with a 10-7 record and were knocked out of the postseason in the NFC championship game, they looked to upgrade their secondary and did so by signing cornerback Charvarius Ward, who was coming off of some strong seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, to a three-year, $40.5 million deal.

Ward played three seasons with the 49ers starting 46 games and earning both All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2023. However, as he entered his final season with the 49ers without an extension, Ward says he was upset.

“I was hurt when I realized when I wasn’t getting a contract extension or an offer… So I wasn’t motivated,” Ward recently told The Athletic’s Mike Silver. “I was kind of pissed off. I knew when the season started it was a wrap for me in the Bay… They got DMO, they drafted him and he’s younger than me. They probably like DMO a little bit better. He’s a little more physical and aggressive than me. I can lock anybody down. Kyle and John want head-busters. I’m not mad. He got what he deserved. All-Pro’s don’t grow on trees, though.”

Ward’s 2024 season was far from his best, as he finished with 54 tackles (one for a loss) and seven passes defensed. Things got much worse for him at home when he tragically lost his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, during the team’s bye week.

The cornerback missed multiple weeks after the rest of the team returned from the bye, but when he returned, his mind still wasn’t on doing everything he could for the 49ers.

“Once I came back every game after that, I was just like, ‘I don’t give a [expletive] what happens,'” Ward told Silver. “I don’t care if I win this rep; I don’t care if I lose this rep.’ I was there physically, but mentally, I was somewhere off the grid, off the globe.

“It’s been hard for me personally to go to work every day, every game — even to practice or go to meetings,” Ward added. “I almost left a couple of times. [Expletive], I know fans probably hate me (for saying that), but [expletive] it, it’s real life.”

Ward started five of the team’s final six games down the stretch, as they finished the year with a 6-11 record and outside the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The team decided to pay another starting cornerback, Deommodore Lenoir, last season, allowing Ward to find a new home in free agency.

The 29-year-old inked a three-year, $54 million deal ($60 million max) with the Indianapolis Colts in March that included $27 million guaranteed at signing. With his new team, he’ll be the top cornerback again, and he’ll have a chance to prove to the 49ers that they should invested in him when they had the chance.

More 49ers: 49ers top pick lands top-10 spot in rookie Madden ratings

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Charvarius Ward was furious with the 49ers throughout the 2024 season