The Tennessee Titans have the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and there’s a growing expectation around the league that they will select Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward. If Ward is made the No. 1 pick, it casts doubt on Will Levis‘s future in Tennessee, which has put him in the center of recent NFL rumors.
Levis, the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has zero ties to the current regime. The general manager who drafted him, Ran Carthon, was fired this offseason and replaced by Kansas City Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi. Likewise, Levis’s first head coach in Tennessee (Mike Vrabel) has since been replaced.
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- Will Levis contract (Spotrac): $2.602 million cap hit in 2025, $3.3036 million cap hit in 2026
With Levis lacking any loyalties from top decision-makers within the franchise, he seemingly wouldn’t have a future if Tennessee drafts Ward with the first overall pick. Given how much teams liked the third-year quarterback’s upside when he entered the 2023 NFL Draft, he’s also viewed as a reasonable buy-low trade target for clubs.
However, the Titans’ president of football operations Chad Brinker told the team’s website over the weekend that they have not discussed trading Levis this offseason. In fact, he’ll have a chance to compete to be the Titans starting quarterback in 2025.
“We have not contacted anybody, and nobody has contacted us, about Will Levis. I don’t think anything has changed from the time somebody asked me about this a month ago. What’s the plan with Will Levis? The plan with Will Levis is he has a chance to compete for a starting job next year. And that’s like every player that’s on our roster. It’s no different for Will. I see him in our facility, he’s working hard. Everybody knows he’s a great kid, he’s a hard worker and he’s going to give it everything he has. And we’re going to continue to work with Will Levis.”
Tennessee Titans president of football operations on recent NFL rumors about a potential Will Levis trade
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- Will Levis stats (ESPN): 2,091 passing yards, 13-12 TD-INT, 27.8 ESPN QBR, 63.1% completion rate
Levis and head coach Brian Callahan didn’t seem to get along great last season, with the first-year coach routinely calling out his starting quarterback in post-game press conferences. Callahan’s job could also be on the line in 2025, which would provide more incentive to find an upgrade over Levis.
Yet, even amid the league’s growing belief that Tennessee will draft Ward, the franchise seems uninterested in moving Levis right now. It’s possible that changes on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft, but the door now seems wide open to Levis staying with the Titans as a backup.
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