Brandon Williams signed a five-year, $52.5 million contract and is entering his final season with the Ravens .
CBS Sports Patrick Walker contends that nose tackle could be on the "chopping block" because of his hefty salary.
Walker wrote:
Everybody can't stick around, and that means the Ravens have some difficult decisions to make in the next few months. They have several key players set to hit free agency in 2022 — including Calais Campbell — and Williams' salary could make it difficult to begin maneuvering in contract talks with others. Williams is set to hit the team's salary cap for a robust $12.9 million (third-highest on the team) in 2021, yet played in only one-third of the team's defensive snaps in 2020 and missed three games, to boot. Already being a couple years on the wrong side of 30 doesn't help his case, along with the fact his trajectory isn't aimed north.
Williams agreed to revised contract this offseason with $6 million in fully guaranteed money and a $4.5 million signing bonus. He has $12.92 million cap hit in 2021 and all of that is dead money, which means team wouldn’t save any funds if they released him.
Baltimore could save $1.5 million by trading Williams but it could be difficult to find a suitor. He is 32 years old and entering his ninth seaon.
Williams, who was selected by the Ravens in the third round (94th overall) of the 2013 draft, also fills a key role in stopping the run, but this could be his final season in Baltimore.
He's played a 16-game season four times over his career. However, the Ravens tend to struggle stopping the run when Williams is out of the lineup.
Williams will likely play out his final season in Baltimore but from there the future is uncertain.
“Right now, all I’m worried about is year nine," Williams said. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But right now, we have a bad taste to get out of our mouths, and we plan on doing that starting today.”
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