With the Tennessee Titans closing in on selecting quarterback Cam Ward with the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, trade rumors surrounding quarterback Will Levis are staking center stage.
It's not exactly breaking news to say that the Titans are looking to move in a different direction at QB. But it's still one of the main storylines in the NFL at the moment. There is even some discussion of Tennessee agreeing to trade Levis before the draft, landing them an extra pick in the later rounds.
In my eyes, there are three windows for Levis to be moved over the next six months. One of them is far more likely than all the rest.
Before the draft
Trading Levis before the draft seems a bit far fetched to me. Teams are not usually eager to give away picks in the upcoming draft to acquire a player. It's always more common to see teams wait until after the draft so that they have no choice but to make the deal for future picks.
On top of that, Levis' stock has never been lower. While he showed some flashes and strung to gather a series of games with solid play in 2024, a late-season regression got him benched by Brian Callahan and the Titans. Tennessee made it very clear how they felt about Levis. That gives them almost no leverage in trade negotiations.
Given the high-upside prospect that Levis was coming out of Kentucky, an offseason of development and a strong camp could be enough to get teams to buy back in on Levis' potential. But I don't see this deal happening prior to draft day.
During the draft
Maybe the 2025 NFL Draft gets here and as the later rounds unfold, one team misses on a chance to draft the sleeper quarterback they really like. I don't really see an NFL team trading for Will Levis instead of draft Kyle McCord or Will Howard, but maybe once those guys are gone a team would be more will to take a flyer.
This is probably the least likely of all the scenarios for when Levis could get traded.
After training camp
The most likely scenario for Will Levis is that he makes it to training camp in a Titans uniform. Levis has indicated that he is focused on returning to the Titans and proving himself. The Titans have indicated that their goal for Levis is to see him battle it out in camp after working on some particular things in the offseason.
Even if a rookie QB is selected first overall and is a lock to be the starter in 2025, I think we see a position battle between Levis and Brandon Allen for the backup job. If Levis beats out Allen (which he probably will), the Titans will have a decision to make: Keep Levis on the roster for his ability to create explosive pays and manufacture fast offense to trade him to the highest bidder.
This is exactly what the Titans did with Malik Willis in 2024. Willis competed with Mason Rudolph for the backup job, and even though he did not beat Rudolph out, he showed enough promise to have some value before being traded to Green Bay. Willis is an example of how this can actually be the best thing possible for both parties.
Gut check right now - I'd say Levis is on the 53-man roster and stays with the Titans in 2025. But if someone calls Mike Borgonzi and dangles a valuable draft pick in front of him, I don't think Tennessee is in a place to say no.
