It appears to be a matter of time before the Tennessee Titans select Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick. While the team says they haven't shopped Will Levis on the trade market, his days in Tennessee could be numbered.
Levis is just two years removed from being a second-round pick but his poor play in 2024 led the Titans to sour on him. However, not every team has stability at quarterback.
The New Orleans Saints just found out that Derek Carr may need shoulder surgery and that could keep him out for at least a portion of the 2025 season.
Spencer Rattler didn't show much potential last season so perhaps the Saints could be in the quarterback market. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report pitched a trade that sends Levis and a fifth-round pick to New Orleans while the Titans get a fourth-round pick.
"Tennessee may find a trade partner in the New Orleans Saints, who have a new coaching staff and uncertainty at quarterback," Moton wrote. "According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Derek Carr suffered a "significant" injury to his throwing shoulder that jeopardizes his availability for the start of the 2025 season.
"Even if the Saints take a quarterback early in the draft, they can consider adding Levis to compete with a rookie, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and Ben DiNucci for the starting position if Carr misses extended time."
The Titans don't get much for Levis in this scenario but if they're considering just cutting him outright, this might be the best they can get.
Best Will Levis trade partner fits: How the Titans can profit now by sending him to QB rehab, needy teams, the Super Bowl champs
The Tennessee Titans are about to select Cam Ward with the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, transitioning past the Will Levis experiment into a new era. Levis remains on the team heading into the third year of his 4-year rookie contract, and the talk from Titans brass publicly has been they intend to keep him around. For a number of reasons, I'm not buying that one bit. I wrote all about why I don't believe Levis will be sticking around right here.
So the question is, when will he be moved? Right before the season? Over the summer? Shortly after Cam is brought in after the draft? I'm not ruling any timeline out. But I think a move before (or perhaps on) draft night is a strong possibility. Not only could it prove to be the perfect time to maximize a return for the Titans, but it could also create an immediate impact in their own draft.
Every team considering the depth of this QB draft class is going to be asking themselves the same question: does using this 3rd or 4th round pick on Tyler Shough, Quinn Ewers, or Will Howard make more sense than utilizing the pick to aquire somebody already in the league like Levis? And I don't think it's a stretch at all to think teams could lean towards a Levis over some of these rookie options. Coaches and front office personnel are notorious for their "I can fix him" mentality, and they tend to let their pre-draft evaluation of guys stick in their minds.
This is how we've seen former First Round pick Kenny Pickett traded twice for some surprising returns. The Steelers moved him in March of 2024 for a 4th/3rd round pick swap, with a pair of 7th round picks sent their way by Philadelphia as well. Then a year later in March 2025, the Eagles traded Pickett to the Browns for 5th plus QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. You can read about other recent QB trades for reference right here.
There's no reason why this kind of value couldn't be gotten for Levis. And it could very well be the key to the Titans getting back into the 3rd round by swapping one of their two 4ths or 5ths. Going by the value on draft trade charts, a swap from the middle of the 5th into the middle/late 3rd is the equivalent value of a 5th round pick, which is a perfectly reasonable appraisal of Levis at this point. He was a 1st round talent on many team's pre-draft boards, and that pedigree sticks with you. Not to mention, it's clear to everybody how real his raw tools are. His only real deficiency is between the ears. If time and/or the right coach and system can break through to him in that regard, you've really got something.
So with the table now set, lets take a look at the teams who could theoretically trade for Levis
