The Baltimore Ravens have officially released veteran safety Marcus Williams, the team announced Wednesday. The move had been expected for months, as Williams lost his starting job in 2024 and played just two defensive snaps after Week 11.
His release will come with a post-June 1 designation, allowing the Ravens to spread his dead cap hit over two seasons.
Williams joined Baltimore as one of the league’s top free agents in 2022, signing a massive five-year, $70 million contract. At the time, it seemed like a home-run move for a team looking to bolster its secondary with a proven playmaker. Instead, injuries and inconsistency derailed his tenure, and now, three years into the deal, the Ravens are cutting ties.
It’s a tough ending for a player who was once expected to be a long-term fixture in Baltimore’s defense. But with Kyle Hamilton emerging as a star and Ar’Darius Washington stepping up, the Ravens had already moved on.
Marcus Williams’ Ravens Tenure Ends in Disappointment
Williams started strong in Baltimore, picking off three passes in his first two games, quickly looking like the impact player the Ravens envisioned. But durability became an issue. He missed seven games in 2022, another six in 2023, and just never looked right this past season. By midseason, he was benched as the Ravens reshuffled their secondary, and the rest was history.
Even when he was on the field, Williams wasn’t the same player.
His 42.9 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 160th out of 170 defensive backs in 2024, and he failed to record an interception for the first time in his career. Baltimore’s pass defense actually improved after his benching, giving defensive coordinator Zach Orr validation his decision was the right one.
Releasing Williams saves the Ravens just $2.1 million in 2025, with $6.7 million in dead money pushed into 2026. It’s not a huge financial relief, but it clears the way for Baltimore to focus on potentially adding more depth behind Hamilton and Washington. The Ravens could look at low-cost veterans in free agency or target a safety in the draft, where they currently hold 11 picks.
With Williams out, the Ravens’ secondary has undergone a full-blown shakeup. Cornerback Arthur Maulet was also released, and Brandon Stephens flew off to the New York Jets for a payday, leaving Baltimore’s defensive backfield thinner than it’s been in years. The DB group is thinning like a bad hairdo.
Ultimately, this move was inevitable. Williams was brought in to be a playmaking safety, but by the end of his Ravens tenure, he was an expensive backup who had lost his mojo. Now, both sides can move forward, with the Ravens reshaping their secondary and Williams looking for a fresh start elsewhere.