Deadlines spur action, but even these stakes weren’t enough for Marcus Williams and the New Orleans Saints to shake hands on a new contract. The cutoff date for franchise tagged players to sign an extension before the 2021 season was at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, July 15, and it ultimately didn’t happen.
So now Williams is on track to be a free agent in 2022. It means that he will have the highest salary cap hit of all Saints players while playing on the $10.612 million franchise tag. His agent can’t negotiate with New Orleans on a new deal until after the 2021 season wraps up.