The Ravens have agreed to a five-year, $70 million deal with free-agent safety Marcus Williams, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed, the team’s first big acquisition of the offseason.
Deals can’t be finalized until Wednesday, when the new league year begins. ESPN reported Tuesday that Williams’ contract has $37 million guaranteed.
“Words can’t describe the way I’m feeling!!! I’m so grateful!! I can’t wait to get to work,” Williams wrote in a tweet in which he tagged the Ravens’ team account.
Williams, 25, has been one of the NFL’s best safeties since arriving in New Orleans in 2017. Over five seasons with the Saints, he had 15 interceptions and 38 passes defended and never missed more than two games in a season. He’s one of six players with two-plus interceptions over each of the past five years.
The former second-round pick was named a second-team All-Pro last season by Pro Football Focus after allowing a 54.2 passer rating in primary coverage, giving up one touchdown and recording two interceptions.
Safety wasn’t considered a glaring need for the Ravens, who entered free agency with about $16 million in salary cap space and holes along the offensive and defensive lines. But the team is coming off an injury-plagued season in which it finished last in the NFL in pass defense and had just nine interceptions.
With safety Chuck Clark returning, promising defensive back Brandon Stephens set to enter his second year in Baltimore, and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters expected to return from season-ending injuries by training camp, the Ravens should have one of the NFL’s most talented secondaries in 2022.
