Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis is taking the highroad and acknowledging some harsh realities about his future with the Titans now that the team is vetting other quarterback options in the offseason.
Jim Wyatt of tennesseetitans.com caught up with Levis during Super Bowl media week in New Orleans and talked to the 25-year-old about the team looking to potentially replace him as the starting quarterback.
Levis still has two years remaining on his rookie contract. The Titans have indicated that they plan on bringing Levis to training camp and giving him an opportunity to compete. But the league wide assumption is still that he will be replaced by either a top rookie or an established veteran in free agency. Titans brass met with top quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders at the Shrine Bowl and will undoubtedly continue scouting both him and Cam Ward during the pre-draft process.
It’s just the harsh reality of playing in the NFL. Leashes are short, particularly on quarterbacks who are drafted outside of the first round. Is that fair? Probably not, but Levis knows that it’s a reality that exists with all 32 teams across the sport.
"[The Titans] gotta do their due diligence to make sure they know who's out there and evaluate who they feel they should evaluate," Levis told Wyatt earlier this week. "It doesn't offend me at all. I know going 3-14 doesn't get you job security any year for any team. I know how it goes. All I can do is put my head down and work to show them that I can still be this team's quarterback."
The best case scenario for Levis is that the Titans decide neither Sanders or Ward are the answer at quarterback and they opt to select Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter at the top of the draft. Tennessee would almost certainly still look to bring in a veteran QB, but maybe the Rams decide not to trade Matthew Stafford and the Titans don’t want to spend big on Sam Darnold.
Maybe it’s Derek Carr or Kirk Cousins, in which case, Levis would actually have a chance to compete and potentially get some playing time in 2025. That’s his dream scenario.
Or maybe he doesn’t make it to training camp at all. Another team could be looking for a young quarterback with a lot of upside and could make a trade with the Titans. Depending on the landing spot, that could put Levis in a position to reclaim his NFL career as a starting QB.
While I still have some hope for Levis' future in the NFL and still believe he can develop into a good NFL starter, I'm not sure there's a path for him to have that opportunity in Tennessee. As he said, 3-14 means changes need to be made. Brian Callahan’s job is now on the line and I don't see him risking it all for a quarterback that he inherited when he took the position.
I think Levis understanding that reality and taking the high road positions him to have a much brighter NFL future, regardless of where he ends up.
