NEW ORLEANS, La – The Saints and franchise-tagged safety Marcus Williams did not reach a deal before the deadline that would have lifted the tag off him.

That means Williams can’t get a new deal until after the regular season ends on January 9th.

With no long-term deal in place, Williams will be a free agent come 2022.

The franchise tag value for a safety for the 2021 season is worth $13.4 million.

A new face on the Saints roster is former UL defensive back Deuce Wallace spoke with me recently about playing defensive back in the NFL.

“At this level, already from what I’ve seen, your short-term memory has to be at an all-time high,” Wallace says. “Your emotions have to be in control. This is not a game of feelings. You have to leave that on the sideline. It’s important because again it’s not all about you. We have two levels of fundamentals. We have the front level. You got the middle level. We’re the back, last line of defense. If we freak out, we’re in trouble. In terms of approach, you have to be gritty. You have to want it. We’re asked to do so many things, and we’re asked to do it backwards. That’s different than most positions. Those are the most stand-out things.”