NEW ORLEANS — Saints cornerback P.J. Williams won't have any legal issues lingering into the season.
Williams, 26, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Aug. 27, to a reduced charge of reckless operation of a motor vehicle that stemmed from his January 2019 arrest and team suspension for suspicion of drunk driving, according to NOLA.com.
He was fined $340 and should now have no pending charges going into the Saints season, which starts in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome against the Houston Texans on Sept. 9. The NFL still has the option to further discipline the former Florida State Seminole, according to NOLA.com.
Williams was also arrested on suspected DUI charges in Florida in 2015, but those charges were later dropped.
The cornerback started both 2019 postseason games for the Black and Gold and agreed to a one-year contract for the 2019-2020 season back in April. It will be his fifth season with the franchise since he was drafted to New Orleans in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
While he missed his rookie year with the team due to a torn hamstring, Williams played 15 regular season games in 2018-2019, making 53 tackles (a career-high), one sack, and a crucial 45-yard pick-six in the Saints' 30-20 mid-season win against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 28.
His performance against the Vikings earned him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
He also earned nine passes defensed and forced one fumble during the 2018 regular season.
In the 2019 postseason, Williams started in both of the Saints' games and made 11 tackles and earned two passes defensed.
The Florida native, who would have been up for free agency without the contract extension, is 6 feet 0 inches and weighs 196 pounds. He's played 33 career games for the Saints in two seasons, with a total of 106 tackles, three picks, 20 passes defensed and two forced fumbles.