After two seasons with the Titans, Will Levis could be playing somewhere else next year.
After two seasons at Kentucky, many expected Will Levis to be drafted in the first round, with some even predicting he could go as the No. 1 overall pick. However, that didn’t happen, and he was eventually selected in the second round by the Tennessee Titans at No. 33 overall.
Levis was highly regarded for his arm talent, with many comparing him to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. In his rookie debut, Levis showed significant promise with the Titans, completing 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns, earning a 130.5 passer rating in a 28-23 victory over the Falcons.
Unfortunately, after his impressive debut, Levis faced challenges as a rookie quarterback under then-head coach Mike Vrabel. He finished with a 3-6 record as the starting quarterback, recording 1,808 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and completing 149 of 255 passes for a 58.4% completion rate.
The Titans ended the season with a 6-11 record, leading to the firing of head coach Vrabel. Following the season, the team hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their new head coach. Expectations were high, given Callahan’s success with the Bengals, where he helped develop a dynamic offense featuring Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins.
Unfortunately, Callahan’s success as an offensive coordinator did not carry over to his first season as head coach, as the Titans finished with a disappointing 3-14 record. Levis also struggled during the season, posting a 2-10 record as the starting quarterback. He completed 190 of 301 pass attempts for a 63.1% completion rate, with 2,901 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
With Levis underperforming in his first two seasons, some believe the Titans might move on from the second-year quarterback and explore options in free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Well, we’ve got one quarterback under contract, the other two are free agents and we’re in position to potentially draft a quarterback,” Callahan speaking about Levis, and impending free agents Mason Rudolph and Trevor Siemian. “We’re in position to, with the cap stability and flexibility we have, to potentially sign a veteran quarterback. And, so, we’re going to explore every avenue to do that.
“There’s a lot of ways you can do this process and we’ll unturn every stone to find out what the best one is for us. There’s a lot of work to be done between now and those decision-making times. But yeah, I think it’s very clear that that’s a position that we have to do our due diligence on and our work on both in free agency and into the draft.”
Despite uncertainty surrounding his future with the Titans, Levis remains confident in his ability to lead the team and hopes to solidify his place as their franchise quarterback going forward.
“Yeah, oh my goodness,” Levis said. “I mean, I want to be the quarterback for this team the rest of my career. I can’t control who makes those decisions.
“I feel like I’m the quarterback for this team and I can bring us to the levels we want to get to, but it’s up to (the team) to make that decision.”
Levis still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, and if the Titans decide to move in a different direction, he will likely have plenty of opportunities elsewhere in the NFL to become a starting quarterback.