Ward took an unprompted shot at the New York Jets receiver
The Week 1 matchup between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football is already one of the most intense and heralded tilts of the 2024 NFL season. So how about adding some beef to go with it?
49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward is no stranger to beef. He upped the ante with anti-Jets rhetoric while explaining that he will shadow the Jets’ No. 1 receiver in Week 1. Speaking on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, Ward snarked, “Garrett Wilson, that’s his name, right?”
#49ers CB Charvarius Ward told @heykayadams he is going to be shadowing #Jets WR Garrett Wilson on week 1 and took a little shot “Garrett Wilson that’s his name right?” pic.twitter.com/LzW2t6MFQp
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) May 21, 2024
History
The Jets will surely take notice of the snub. Ward already went on record beefing with Sauce Gardner. After the Super Bowl, Gardner tweeted, “I told y’all. The 9ers might look better on paper but the Chiefs always find a way.”
Ward took exception and didn’t hold back. “Boy yo a** ain’t never sniffed the playoffs. You watching from the couch. Worry bout the sorry a** JETS. Everybody got something to say about the team in the Super Bowl. Your opinion doesn’t need be heard kid.”
Both players later deleted their tweets, but Gardner responded, “49ers fans so mad I stated facts. They literally an elite team all around. Y’all take everything the wrong way on this app lol.”
In the same interview with Adams, Ward walked back that issue with Gardner. He claimed that he was hot after the Super Bowl but later realized that Sauce hadn’t actually said anything bad about the 49ers.
“I don’t have no beef with Sauce. If I did, I’d just tell BA (Brandon Aiyuk) and Deebo (Samuel) to handle that for me.”
There’s a layer of irony in that last statement. Ward would tell his receivers to handle any issues with Sauce. Now, Garrett Wilson has a chance to handle any issues the Jets might have with Ward.
Ward is a frequently-targeted cornerback but held up well in 2023. Opponents went 51-for-94 (54.3%) against his coverage, the 10th-lowest completion rate out of 72 qualified cornerbacks (min. 400 coverage snaps). His 0.926 yards per coverage snap ranked 28th, and his 6.44 yards per target ranked 12th. His 63.0 targeted passer rating was the fifth-best.
It will be up to Wilson to let his actions speak louder than Ward’s blustery words.
