Hold the mayo: Titans cut quarterback Will Levis

Joining the Jets would make sense for Levis. The team could be hosting a starting quarterback competition next season, albeit with a player picked early in the first round. A chance to compete should not be overlooked by a player hoping to get things back on track.

Levis, who has been in trade rumors at times this year, would appear to be the favorite to be released or traded from where we sit this offseason. We doubt that Brian Daboll brought in his old charge Trubisky this offseason just to instantly release him, but the fact that they’re positioning it as a real battle at least opens the possibility. Expect to see plenty of Levis in the preseason this year.

This is good to hear. Switching offensive systems in one’s second professional season is no easy feat. Daboll has helped develop young quarterbacks in the past. His experience in this regard is undoubtedly good for all involved. Ward is currently in the low-end QB2 tier for fantasy. Daboll also said it has been “helpful” to have QB Mitchell Trubisky in the mix, and noted that QB Will Levis “has picked up the system well.” His comments on QB Hendon Hooker were limited to Hooker having put on a “good workout.” We suspect he has an uphill battle to make the roster.

Levis is one of a quintet of backups mentioned by Fowler — Tyson Bagent, Tanner McKee, Davis Mills, and Jarrett Stidham are the others — that fall under the umbrella of “teams that have better-known backups entering the final years of their contracts.” We’ve covered a few of them over the past month — especially Bagent — but haven’t stopped for a beat on Levis for a minute. Levis missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. The GM and head coach who drafted him are gone, and Cam Ward is here. It makes all the sense in the world for the Titans to move on if they can find an interested taker.

Just months after learning he would be replaced by No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, Levis’ 2025 will now come to an end before it even gets started. According to Rapoport, Levis “elected to have the procedure to ensure long-term health, based on medical opinions,” but should be ready to return for the 2026 season. The former No. 33 overall pick has had a tumultuous start to his NFL career, throwing for 3,899 yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 21 games while also losing 17 fumbles over that span. Despite playing in just 12 games last season, Levis tied with Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins for a league-high 18 turnovers, which eventually led to the decision to bench him for Mason Rudolph. Rudolph is now in Pittsburgh, meaning veterans Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle are left to backup Ward in his rookie season. The Titans may look to add another quarterback to their roster to compete with the underwhelming duo, but there aren’t many reliable options on the market at the moment.

Titans head coach Bill Callahan did suggest that things will likely change during the next phase of the offseason training activities aka OTAs, but for now, Ward and Levis are getting equal reps. The Titans made Ward the first-overall pick of last month’s draft, and while it’s not unheard of for a highly-drafted quarterback to not begin the season as the team’s starter, it’s very hard to imagine that Ward won’t be the starter for Week 1 of the regular season. This is more of a long-term play than someone who likely has fantasy relevance in 2025, either way.

While Callahan did not explicitly state that Ward is the Week 1 starter, he is already qualifying his statements on the matter. Unless something goes terribly awry, Ward should be under center for much of training camp, and ostensibly, when Week 1 kicks off. As far as backups go, the Titans could do worse than having Levis in the No. 2 spot.

Huge, if true. “He’s still developing. He’s had some good moments,” Borgonzi continued. “Like any other QB, he’s still learning.” Levis was recently in a list of potentially available players on rookie contracts that Adam Schefter pushed on Monday, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Titans dealt him. This is a stark departure from president of football operations Chad Brinker saying Levis had a chance to compete for the starting job in March, obviously.

The Titans are standing by their man, for now. Brinker adds that the Titans “have not contacted anybody, and nobody has contacted us, about Will Levis.” If the Titans were to be contacted about Levis’ availability, perhaps his stance would change, but Levis is on year three of a rookie deal and isn’t blocking any additions even if he becomes a backup plan. Perhaps retaining Levis as the presumed starter, pre-draft, will encourage another team picking in the top 10 to offer an overwhelmingly valuable trade package that would allow the Titans to slide back a tad, while remaining in range to draft one of Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart.

Levis was the Titans’ second-round pick two years ago. He started 12 games last season and finished with 12 interceptions and six fumbles lost before being benched for Mason Rudolph. The Titans now hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and will have their choice of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders as their next franchise quarterback. If they have faith in one of them, Levis could be jettisoned. A market may not materialize quickly, but a team may deal a day three draft pick to get Levis in a back-up role.