Raven Country

Ravens Safety Preparing for Release

As expected, a former Baltimore Ravens starter appears to be headed to the open market.
Jon Alfano|
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams (32) celebrates with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) after recovering a fumble during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams (32) celebrates with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) after recovering a fumble during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams is prepared to test the free agent market with the expectation that the team will release him, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports.

This news comes as no surprise after Williams' performance this season. The 28-year-old struggled tremendously in coverage this season, allowing a passer rating of 148.4 according to Pro Football Reference (158.3 is a perfect passer rating). Additionally, he had no interceptions despite being a noted ballhawk.

By December, Williams was relegated to being a healthy scratch as Ar'Darius Washington took his place in the starting lineup. The Ravens' defense improved significantly after making that change, which really showed how much his poor play was holding the unit back.

The Ravens will take on a good bit of dead money by cutting Williams, though they could release him with a post-June 1 designation to soften the blow. Such a move would free up $2.1 million in cap space and leave roughly $6.7 million in dead money. Fowler notes that Williams' contract features a "significant trigger" on March 13, so it seems likely the Ravens will release him before then.

Either way, the Ravens would likely prefer to use the money they could save elsewhere.

A 2017 second-round pick by the New Orleans Saints, Williams signed a five-year deal worth $70 million with the Ravens in 2022. He played reasonably well throughout his first two seasons in Baltimore, hauling in five interceptions in 21 games. His play unexpectedly fell off a cliff this season, though, ultimately sealing his fate this offseason.

With 20 career interceptions, Williams should still have a bit of a market in free agency, but most likely as a backup.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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