Rams Announce Retirement Of CB Darious Williams

Williams, who is about to turn 33, was entering the last year of his contract and was seen as a possible cap casualty with $7.5MM in potential savings. Instead, he will hang up his cleats after 104 games played, 69 starts and a championship ring from Super Bowl LVI in 2022. That is a strong career for an undrafted free agent, especially one who started playing college ball at a Division III school.

In fact, Williams is the only player from Marietta College to play in the NFL. He spent his freshman year with the Pioneers and transferred to UAB, where he made the team as a walk-on in 2014. He remained at the school even after the football program briefly shut down, per Greg Beachum of the Associated Press, and went on to start 18 games across the 2016 and 2017 seasons, earning a first-team All-Conference USA nod in the second.

The Ravens signed Williams as an undrafted rookie in 2018 and he made the 53-man roster with Jimmy Smith serving a suspension. He appeared in three games on special teams and was waived when Smith was eligible to return. Baltimore wanted to retain Williams, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but the Rams swooped in and claimed him instead.

Williams only appeared in one game during his first year in Los Angeles, but he carved out a rotational role on defense and a core role on special teams. He stepped into a starting job in 2020 and was retained in 2021 on a restricted free agent tag.

Another year as a starter earned Williams a three-year, $30MM deal from the Jaguars in free agency in 2022. He started 28 games over the next two seasons and was released with one year remaining on his contract. He then returned to Los Angeles on a three-year, $22.5MM deal, of which he earned $15MM.

With McDuffie already acquired, the Rams will not need to seek a direct replacement for Williams, though they could still look to upgrade their secondary.

Williams will retire with just over $43MM in career earnings and, according to Nate Atkins of The Athletic, will now move into a new role as a father.