The Baltimore Ravens are ready to part ways with a recent offseason splash. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, safety Marcus Williams expects to be released before his contract reaches a significant trigger on March 13th.
#Ravens safety Marcus Williams is preparing for free agency with the full expectation that Baltimore releases him, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 28, 2025
A recent contract restructure includes a significant trigger March 13.
Williams, benched last season, has 20 career INTs. pic.twitter.com/iJUVDYBUQL
Williams joined the Ravens on a massive five-year, $70 million contract during the 2022 offseason after five years with the New Orleans Saints. For his career, he has totalled 20 interceptions and 56 pass deflections while playing primarily as a free safety.
Unfortunately, very little of that production came in 2024. Williams broke up a mere two passes on 601 snaps for the Ravens last season while allowing an astonishing 148.4 passer rating on throws in his direction. His 42.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 160th among qualified safeties across the NFL.
Williams' play last season appears to have cost him his place on the Ravens' roster, and he will likely be designated a post-June 1st cut. The Ravens will thus be able to spread the approximately $15.5 million in dead money remaining on his contract over the 2025 and 2026 seasons and even earn back a little over $2.5 million in cap space this year.
Williams was once a highly regarded player and is still only 28 years old, so it's difficult to imagine he'll fall out of the league entirely. Still, demand for him should be quite low, given his performance last year. It might benefit him to hook up with a coach with whom he has previously been successful. Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton coached him in New Orleans, and Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was his defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2022 to 2023.
Photo Credit: © Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
