Ward agreed to a contract with the Vikings on Wednesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Ward has spent the last two seasons with the Giants and is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he recorded 24 tackles and a career-high five sacks in 17 games. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 287 pounds, Ward has experience at both defensive end and outside linebacker. He'll likely serve as a rotational pass rusher for Minnesota in 2024.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Tallies career-high sack total
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Ward finished the 2023 campaign with 24 tackles (16 solo), including 5.0 sacks, over 17 contests.
For the third straight year, Ward played in every regular-season game, and he logged 59 percent of New York's defensive snaps over the course of the campaign. The veteran outside linebacker didn't notch a sack over the season's first 10 contests but came on strong to rack up 5.0 sacks over the Giants' final seven games to finish with a career-high mark in that category. Ward is slated to be a free agent in the offseason, and with New York lacking other pass-rushing options (only Kayvon Thibodeaux had more for the team than Ward last year), there's a chance the late-season surge could convince the organization to bring him back if the price is reasonable.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Emerges with best game of season
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Ward finished Sunday's 10-7 Week 12 win over the Patriots with five tackles (two solo), including 1.5 sacks.
Ward posted his highest tackle total of the campaign in the victory -- prior to Sunday, he hadn't tallied more than three stops in a contest. The veteran didn't record any sacks over his first 11 games, but he's now registered 2.5 over the past two weeks, including his 1.5 sacks Sunday. The recent surge has pushed Ward to within a half-sack of tying his career-high mark of 3.0 sacks in a campaign.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Staying in NY
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Ward re-signed with the Giants on Thursday.
Ward will remain with Big Blue after playing with the Giants in 2022. He tied his career high with three sacks last season while adding a career-best 43 tackles.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Iffy for Sunday
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Ward (concussion) is questionable for Sunday's matchup against Washington.
Ward didn't practice Wednesday due to a concussion, returned as a limited participant Thursday and logged a full session Friday, but he still drew a questionable tag for Sunday's divisional matchup. Leonard Williams (neck) is also listed as questionable, so the Giants' defensive line may be shorthanded against Washington.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Logs limited session Thursday
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Ward (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
It's a step in the right direction for Ward, who returned to practice in a limited fashion Thursday after he missed Wednesday's session while tending to a knee issue. Ward's activity during Friday's practice should provide more clarity regarding his Week 4 availability, but for the time being, it looks like rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux is in line to receive more snaps at linebacker for New York now that he's healthy.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Doesn't practice Wednesday
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Ward (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
Ward played a season-low 66 percent of the team's defensive snaps during Monday's loss to the Cowboys and presumably tweaked his ankle as well. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but he'll have two more opportunities to practice before the team has to make a decision on his status for Week 4.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Submits another full practice
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Ward (undisclosed) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.
Ward suffered an unspecified injury in mid-August, but he has submitted back-to-back full practices and will likely be available to make his Giants debut in Week 1. The veteran defensive end was a solid rotational player with both Baltimore in 2020 and Jacksonville in 2021 and will look to serve a similar role with New York in 2022.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Exits practice with possible injury
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Ward left the field with medical staff during practice Sunday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
It's unclear what caused Ward's exit, but he didn't return after departing. Elerson Smith also left the field with an apparent foot/ankle issue Sunday, per Tom Rock of Newsday, leaving the Giants thin at the linebacker position.
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Jaguars' Jihad Ward: Signs in Jacksonville
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Ward agreed to a one-year contract with the Jaguars on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The 2016 second-round pick will head to his fourth team since entering the league. Ward played 10 games for the Ravens last year, averaging 27 snaps per contest and recording 16 tackles, three sacks and two pass breakups. Josh Allen (knee) and K'Lavon Chaisson are locked in as starters for 2021, so Ward is poised for a rotational role.
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Ravens' Jihad Ward: Shifting to COVID list
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Ward was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Ward's addition to the reserve/COVID-19 list brings Baltimore's current total to 10 players, as he joins Calais Campbell, Pernell McPhee and Brandon Williams as the only defensive players among the group. The 26-year-old hasn't made an appearance since Week 6, but in that matchup against Philadelphia, he recorded his first sack of 2020. Ward has just one special-teams snap all season, but he's fielded an average of 28.5 defensive snaps per game over his six outings.
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Ravens' Jihad Ward: Sticking in Baltimore
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Ward signed a one-year contract with the Ravens on Friday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.
Ward secured a rotational role in Baltimore's linebacker corps upon joining the team midway through the 2019 regular season, regularly handling a 50-plus percent snap share. He projects to handle similar duties for the 2020 campaign, which would keep him off the radar in IDP formats.
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Colts' Jihad Ward: Returns to action in minicamp
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Ward (ankle) participated in June minicamp, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.
Ward missed the final nine games of the season after suffering ligament damage to his left ankle in Week 7. The 25-year-old appears as though he'll enter training camp fully healthy.
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Colts' Jihad Ward: Placed on IR
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Ward (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Friday.
Ward suffered ligament damage to his left ankle during a win over the Bills in Week 7, and the third-year defensive tackle will now focus his efforts on recovering for the 2019 season. Hassan Ridgeway will serve as the primary backup to Denico Autry for the rest of the season.
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Colts' Jihad Ward: Won't play Week 8
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Ward (ankle) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, George Bremer of The Anderson Herald Bulletin reports.
Ward never had a chance to play Sunday after sustaining ligament damage in his left ankle during Indianapolis' win over the Bills in Week 7. The 24-year-old had earned a key rotational role in the Colts' defense, but he appears to be facing an extended absence from the field. Hassan Ridgeway should benefit from an increased defensive role in Ward's absence going forward.
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Colts' Jihad Ward: Out for remainder of Sunday's contest
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Ward (ankle) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Bills, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Previous suspicions were confirmed once Ward was officially ruled out. The Colts will likely provide a clearer timeframe for a return following the contest. As for now, Grover Stewart figures to assume Ward's role.
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Raiders' Jihad Ward: Inactive for Sunday
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Ward (foot) is listed as inactive for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.
Ward has only suited up three times this season, playing just 35 defensive snaps and posting no notable stat line. The second-year pro is a depth defensive lineman anyway, so his absence doesn't shake up the Raiders' defense.
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Raiders' Jihad Ward: Still in walking boot
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Ward (foot) remains in a walking boot as of Monday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.
After undergoing foot surgery in June, Ward's placement on the PUP list Saturday was expected, as he won't take the practice field until mid-August, at the earliest. As a rookie in 2016, he tallied 30 tackles (16 solo) and one fumble recovery while picking up nearly 61 percent of the defensive snaps. Thus, if his absence extends into the regular season, Mario Edwards (undisclosed) could be the beneficiary at defensive end.
