Ward has signed a new two-year contract, with an option for a further 12-month stay.
“He gives us options. He can play wide, he can play up front, so it’s nice to get him tied down for that length of time,” manager Nigel Clough told BBC Radio Derby.
“I think it was fitting to reward Jamie, he’s earned this.”
Ward still had a year left on his previous deal with the club.
“We’ve been discussing it with him for a month or two,” Clough added.
“We weren’t desperate to get something done because he still had plenty of time on his contract, but it’s good to get it done.
“He’s a niggly little so-and-so, one of those players you don’t like playing against. We need that feistiness.”
