Will Levis knows this isn’t necessarily his last chance. But he also knows it’s not not his last chance either.
Levis and Mason Rudolph are set to rotate at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans final game of the season against the Houston Texans (9-7) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS). Levis, Rudolph and coach Brian Callahan have all kept mum on the subjects of how the rotation will work, how many snaps each passer will get and who will start the game. But the point remains that Levis is returning into the conversation as one of the Titans’ present and future options at the position less than a month after being benched in the middle of a three-interception, four-turnover disaster of a loss against Cincinnati.
After the benching, Levis was blunt. He said he felt he could still be a starter, whether it was for the Titans (3-13) or another organization. Barely a year into his tenure as the starter, those words represented a bit of a departure for Levis and his hopes to be Nashville’s franchise star.
Now, renewed with the vigor of one more opportunity, Levis is hopeful again.
“That’s definitely something that’s fluttered in my mind,” Levis admitted when asked Wednesday if he felt Sunday's game was another audition for his future. “But you shut it out. I only focus on what I can control and focus on the week. But I know that there’s a heckuva lot more tape that they have to look at. This is just a small portion of it. But obviously every rep and every game is the most important thing. I’ve got to make sure that I do my best to make sure the focus is clean and as good as I can make it.”
Levis told reporters he went through a 48-hour mourning period after being benched. But after that, he reestablished focus, knowing that being Rudolph’s backup meant he was still a play away from taking snaps. Levis’ commitment and focus in those moments played a factor in Callahan’s willingness to give him this end-of-season opportunity.
The Titans made the move to Rudolph in mid-December because Callahan believed Rudolph offered the best chance to win. Despite those better chances, the Titans went 0-2 in Rudolph’s starts, including a Week 17 loss in Jacksonville that cinched a last-place finish in the AFC South.
“I think had I played a little better and we won the last couple of weeks, we wouldn’t be going through this,” Rudolph said. “But it is what it is. You make the best out of a situation.”
The 29-year-old Rudolph who spent six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers has never played in a rotation like this in a regular season game, but he compares the situation to the preseason. He’s not overly concerned about falling out of rhythm, and to be fair to Callahan, he has no intentions of taking out a quarterback who’s playing well.
But, to Rudolph’s point, the Titans aren’t in this situation because their quarterbacks have played too well this season. Both Levis and Rudolph have thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns this season. The last time Levis threw a pass in a Titans uniform, a Cincinnati defender intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown.
Levis still has two more years on his rookie contract with the Titans. There's no reason he can't be back in 2025, whether that's as a starter, as part of a quarterback competition or as a backup. Rudolph, meanwhile, is on a one-year contract set to expire in the spring. Each are auditioning for their futures with every snap.
Playing well in this game doesn’t invalidate a season’s worth of a mistakes, and that goes for Levis and Rudolph. Still, the opportunity to head into an offseason having shown growth and resilience is a big deal for both quarterbacks.
“I sure as heck didn’t want my last throw to be a pick-six,” Levis said. “So to at least have a shot at that not being the case. I’m not focusing on trying to do anything specific. All I’m trying to do is play quarterback the best that I can. It’s a good opportunity to try to end the season on a good note.”
