Rams' Defense Gets Dealt a Retirement Before Start of Free Agency

The Los Angeles Rams say goodbye to a player who helped them climb football's tallest peek

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Los Angeles Rams helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams are preparing the organization for one of the most critical offseasons in recent memory, and another domino fell into place in an unexpected manner.

Williams Says Goodbye

Rams defensive back and Super Bowl LVI champion Darious Williams has announced his retirement from the NFL. After having a massively successful NFL career that started as an undrafted free agent in 2018. After a short stint with the Baltimore Ravens to begin his career, Williams was claimed off waivers.

November 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darious Williams (31) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

He was a member of the three Rams teams that made the NFC Championship Game, starting and winning the above mentioned Super Bowl LVI. With the announcement, Williams calls time on an eight-year career in which he earned over $40 million in NFL earnings. Not bad for a little-known defensive back coming out of UAB.

A Beloved Veteran

It was made evident early that Williams would be the odd man out of the Rams' three-man cornerback rotation. While the Rams loved Williams and stated they felt they had four legitimate starters at the position, Williams was forced to watch the season-opener from the sidelines. That was until injuries pressed him into service the following week and he was solid from the jump.

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula spoke about Williams and said transition.

“It's seamless," stated Shula. "He was ready to go at all times. [Head Coach] Sean [McVay] had a bunch of talks with him about staying in the game and being ready to roll. That second half, he makes a huge breakup on the fade that I think changed the turning point of the game to calm the backside of three by ones down and some back shoulder fades. He's a guy that, I feel like I've known him forever. I think it was 2018. We've known him since. We've had a lot of ups and downs together. We knew at some point he would play a critical role for this defens, and it just happened to be last week.”

Jul 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula on the field during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Later in the season, Shula spoke about Williams, his work ethic, his unselfishness, and what he means to the team.

“He played a great game and he's taken on a leadership role among those three guys," stated Shula. "[Assistant Head Coach/ Pass Game Coordinator] Aubrey [Pleasant] does a great job where we come up with a plan and he feels the flow of the game and rolls them or based on matchups, wherever it was. It was really good because you could see in the first drive, they attacked him in the boundary and he was able to stand up and he made another really good play in the boot on the comeback. He played some really good football, played good clean ball and played calm out there and I’m happy for him.”

Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula at press conference during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A trusted veteran whose influence will be missed.