After nine seasons with San Francisco, defensive back Jimmie Ward will leave the 49ers when his contract expires at 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

But the former Davidson High School standout won’t be completely cutting his connections with San Francisco. NFL Network and The Athletic reported on Monday night that Ward would sign with the Houston Texans.

MORE NFL:

· DALVIN TOMLINSON CHANGING TEAMS FOR $57 MILLION

· FORMER ALABAMA PREP STANDOUT JOINING GIANTS

· JAMEIS WINSTON TAKES PAY CUT TO STAY WITH SAINTS

DeMeco Ryans took over as Houston’s head coach this offseason after spending the previous six seasons on the San Francisco staff, including the past two as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.

RELATED: DEMECO RYANS’ COACHING ROOTS GROW FROM ALABAMA

Ward’s deal with the Texans has been reported as a two-year, $13 million contract by SiriusXM NFL Radio.

With Houston, Ward is expected to play safety, his preferred position, after spending most of the 2022 season as a slot corner.

The 49ers selected Ward from Northern Illinois with the 30th selection in the 2014 NFL Draft with the aim of using the college safety at an emerging position – slot cornerback.

After playing for three head coaches in his first three NFL seasons and working at every position in the San Francisco secondary, Ward moved full-time to free safety in 2017 when current coach Kyle Shanahan took the helm of the 49ers.

When healthy, Ward manned that spot for five seasons, including in two NFC Championship games and Super Bowl LIV.

But Ward, who has missed 40 games and broken his left forearm twice during his career, started the 2022 season on an injured reserve with a hamstring problem. Returning in the fifth game of the season, Ward stayed on the field for only two plays before being forced out by injury.

When Ward came back two weeks later, the 49ers had decided Tashaun Gipson was playing too well at free safety to take out of the lineup, so San Francisco assigned Ward to slot corner, and he played it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where the 49ers’ season ended in a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 106 NFL regular-season games, Ward has 451 tackles, seven interceptions, 44 passes defended, 11 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries while on the field for 5,635 defensive snaps and 922 special-teams plays.

Ward also has played in nine postseason games over the previous four years. He intercepted a pass in San Francisco’s 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 20, 2022.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.