Overview
- Ward missed the entire 2025 season on reserve/PUP after a December 2024 foot injury required surgery.
- The release voids his scheduled $2.75 million 2026 base salary and carries roughly $2 million in dead money, according to multiple reports.
- He was arrested in June 2025 on a felony domestic-violence-related charge, placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list in August, and removed after a grand jury declined to indict in September.
- A 2014 first-round pick who spent nine seasons with the 49ers, Ward signed a two-year, $13 million deal with Houston in 2023, served as a team captain, and appeared in 20 games over two seasons.
- Ward’s playing future is uncertain, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reporting he is considering retirement and taking classes this offseason.