It’s the 2025 NFL Draft’s worst-kept secret that the Titans are likely to have a new quarterback in the building soon. With Tennessee expected to use their No. 1 overall draft pick on Miami’s Cam Ward, incumbent passer Will Levis could be expendable. In fact, Diana Russini of The Athletic seems to believe that he could be traded during this year’s draft.
It’s been two years since the Titans drafted Levis out of Kentucky as the first pick in the second round. He took over the starting job in Week 8 of his rookie year, going 3-6 as a starter as he took the job from Ryan Tannehill, though Tannehill took continued pushing him for the job near the end of the season.
Levis retained the starting job over Mason Rudolph last year, but a rocky start and a shoulder injury led to Rudolph taking over for a few games. Levis took his job back after recovering, but in the middle of a Week 15 contest with the Bengals, the Titans benched him for Rudolph, who would start the next two games. The two would split time in the team’s season finale.
Levis has shown promise at times in his early career, but ultimately, a 5-16 record over two years, combined with a completion percentage of only 61 percent and 16 interceptions over 21 games, have convinced the Titans to pursue a quarterback with their top overall pick. That doesn’t mean Levis doesn’t have value in the NFL, though, and plenty have suggested that the 25-year-old holds some trade value as he could contribute to another franchise.
Three-and-a-half weeks ago, Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker refuted reports that trade talks had begun for Levis. With the draft 24 hours away, though, calls — incoming or outgoing — are likely to pick up and could result in a draft-day trade for the former second-rounder.
Will Levis landing spots: Best fit for QB if Titans deal him during the 2025 NFL Draft
These teams may try to acquire Levis during the draft.
With Cam Ward likely headed to Nashville, there's a decent chance that Will Levis might be on his way out the door sometime soon. Actually, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones recently said that Levis can "absolutely get dealt" during the 2025 NFL Draft, which kicks off April 24.
"(The Titans) have seen enough over the last couple years," Jones said on the "Pushing the Pile" podcast. "You know what you have in him. You're bringing in Cam Ward. How much have we talked about how not good this quarterback class is, right? Obviously, you'd want to send a sixth (round pick) for Will Levis. You may need to send a five for him.
"Will Levis will be a better quarterback than any quarterback you'd take in the fifth round this year. He will be a better quarterback than anyone you'd take in the fourth round."
As Jones pointed out, giving up a fifth- or sixth-round pick for Levis may end up being a shrewd decision by an NFL general manager that is looking to add to his quarterback room. While you could spend a late-round pick on either Oregon's Dillon Gabriel or Notre Dame's Riley Leonard, it might make more sense to instead use that pick to acquire the 25-year-old Levis, who already has 21 NFL regular-season starts under his belt.
Besides, a change of scenery might do wonders for Levis, who did show signs of growth during his first two seasons with the Titans. While turnovers continued to be an issue for him, Levis did improve his accuracy in 2024 despite playing in an offense that didn't have much else last year sans running back Tony Pollard and wideout Calvin Ridley.
If the Titans decide to deal him, here are five possible landing spots for Levis: Saints; Vikings; Steelers; Ravens; Browns.
