Titans taking a big risk waiting to trade Will Levis because of one unsuspecting QB move that could be coming in the preseason

A hot topic for the Tennessee Titans heading into the 2025 NFL Draft was what would become of Will Levis. With Cam Ward as the new face of their franchise, could he be dealt? I wrote about that question at length here and here before the draft, laying out the teams that make the most sense for him.

The Levis Draft Trade That Never Was

I also said pre-draft that I felt it was a 50/50 proposition Levis was moved on draft weekend vs after it, and that if he wasn’t moved, it wasn’t for lack of trying on the Titans part. Well, he wasn’t moved during the draft. And in press conference availability since the dust settled, GM Mike Borgonzi said explicitly that the Titans did not try to trade Levis over the weekend.

With all due respect to Mike, I don’t exactly believe that.

Now, am I sure he’s lying at the podium? No. Would I be shocked to find out I’m wrong, and that he’s telling the truth? A bit surprised, but not shocked. But I am old enough to remember the way Borgonzi and company talked about Levis in the pre-draft presser, beginning their shockingly honest remarks with such high regards as “Will is a quarterback in our room.”

Also, if the Titans did in fact try—and fail—to deal Levis during the draft, what is Borgonzi supposed to say afterwards? “Yea, we tried moving him. But nobody wanted him!”

Of course he would have to say exactly what he said, that they didn’t try to move him. Admitting otherwise does nothing but hurt his market and damage any leverage they might have.

The only thing I said for certain pre-draft is that Levis would be dealt eventually. And so now we wait for “eventually”, which appears to likely be in August during training camp and the preseason. It’s exactly what Tennessee did with Malik Willis last year, and they seem to be interested in doing the same with Levis now: pump him up over the summer at the podium, let him put a couple good practices and preseason games out there to fuel the narrative, and deal him when his stock is highest.

But there’s one person who I fear could really mess that up for them. And his name is Kirk Cousins.

Kirk Cousins Could Spoil The Pre-Season Market

The Kirk Cousins storyline has been on the back burner for a couple of weeks now, as the Falcons inexplicably chose to keep him on their roster past the deadlines that locked in 7-figures worth of guaranteed for the highly-compensated veteran. At the moment, he’s the league’s most highly compensated (working) backup.

After being paid a 4yr/$180,000,000 contract last spring, he was unseated by rookie Michael Penix before the end of his first season in Atlanta and has been in limbo since.

The Falcons decision to keep him around and continue to eat more of the money they owe him points to just one logical thing: they want to deal him to a desperate team around the beginning of the season.

The brutal truth is that somebody is liable to lose their starter, and get desperate for somebody to come in. And I think the Titans see Levis as the kind of guy who could be appealing to a team needing a spot-starter with upside. But with Kirk still on the market, Levis’s appeal in that way drops significantly. His only selling point is his price tag as compared to Kirk’s.

The Falcons probably want draft capital and for the team trading for him to eat some of his contract. That’s a big ask. With Levis, he would essentially only cost somebody the draft pick they’re willing to pay for him.

But beyond that, if you need a spot-starter or even a long-term starting option in 2025, there’s no question Cousins is a more attractive player for that role than Levis.

They aren’t exactly the same in terms of appeal, Levis and Cousins. Not even close. But their utility in the eyes of prospective teams later this summer could overlap, and the Titans choosing to wait to deal him could potentially prove a mistake because of it.