The Titans have some of the longest Super Bowl odds in the NFL heading into the 2024 season, but that’s not keeping quarterback Will Levis from setting big goals for the team.
Levis told CBS Sports that he is using the low expectations for him and the rest of the team as motivation for his first full season as the starter in Tennessee.
“We want to make a playoff run,” Levis said. “That’s the biggest goal for us. Obviously, every team’s goal is going to win a Super Bowl . . . but we’re going to take it one game at a time. We know we’ve got a tough schedule, and all we want to do is is play within ourselves, learn from each other, love each other, and prove a lot of people wrong. We know that there’s a lot of doubters out there that don’t think that we’re gonna be worth anything this year.”
Levis isn’t the only player who will have a hand in how the Titans fare this season, but his performance will carry more weight than that of many teammates. The Titans need Levis to take some big steps forward in his second year if any preseason doubters are going to be eating crow come January.
The Patriots officially announced that Alonzo Highsmith is a senior personnel executive for the team this week and another member of the family has a new job title as well.
The Titans announced on Thursday that A.J. Highsmith, Alonzo’s son, is their director of scouting. He spent the last five seasons as a scout for the Bills.
Highsmith was one of six new hires announced by the Titans on Thursday. They also hired senior national scout Sam Summerville, director of football administration Leland Taylor, video director Joey Glennon, football data analyst Erin Psajdl Davis, football data analyst Alex Rogers, and scouting assistant Keenan Agnew.
In addition to those hires, the Titans announced 13 promotions. Assistant director of college scouting Dale Thompson, senior national scout Mike Boni, college scout Brandon Taylor, pro scouting coordinator Mical Johnson, chief of staff for football operations Bryce Wasserman, director of football information systems Adam Bondi, assistant director of football strategy Rob Riederer, personnel scout Kalan Reed, senior director of football facilities & team operations Chris Matusek, assistant athletic trainer/physical therapist Rachel Hunt, senior manager of equipment Matt Thompson, equipment assistant Trey Reid, and video assistant Rylan Ballou make up that group.
Safety Jamal Adams signed with the Titans on Thursday and he will be making the league minimum for veteran players after playing just 10 games over the last two seasons.
Adams tore his quad in his first game in 2022 and missed the other 16 games of that season and then dealt with a knee injury that limited his availability last year. During an appearance on The Official Titans Podcast, Adams called the 2022 injury “humbling” and that he didn’t feel all the way back when he got on the field last year.
Adams said he’s in “a way better place now” mentally and physically and that he hopes to show that he can still be the kind of player he was before he missed all of that time.
“I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder for a long, long time,” Adams said. “For me, it’s moreso I’m not trying to prove anyone wrong, I’m moreso trying to prove myself right. I’m trying to get back out there to prove myself, that I’m still that guy and I still can play. Whether anyone believes in me or not, as long as I believe in myself that’s what matters.”
The move to Tennessee reunites Adams with defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who was his first NFL position coach with the Jets. Adams began building the resume that made him the league’s highest-paid safety with Wilson and all involved will be hoping that their second run together can also be a productive one.
Circumstances can change quickly in the NFL.
Less than three years ago, safety Jamal Adams signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Seahawks. Now, months after being released with time left on that deal, Adams has landed at the other end of the pro football pay scale.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Adams will receive a one-year, $1.125 million salary, with a signing bonus of $167,000.
It’s surprising but it isn’t. Adams has played only 22 games in the last three seasons. He last played a full season in 2018, his second year with the Jets.
A torn quadriceps tendon suffered in the first game of the 2022 season had him in a cast for 20 weeks. He has said he considered retirement following that injury. He ultimately fought his way back, playing in nine games last year.
A three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2019, Adams has shown that he can play at a high level. He also attacks the game with a reckless abandon that has tested, and at times has exceeded, the limits of human anatomy.
This year, he’ll have a chance to re-establish himself, in the hopes of getting something more significant in 2025.
The clock is ticking. He turns 29 in October. And even if he stays healthy and puts together a fourth Pro Bowl season in his first year with the Titans, teams will likely be skeptical that it’ll continue in 2025 and beyond.
But that’s why Adams pushed so hard for a second contract from the Seahawks, after not getting one from the Jets following his All-Pro season. He explained it at the press conference announcing the deal.
His father, George, had a pro football career cut short due to injuries. Jamal wanted the protection, and he got it.
Now, he’s playing not for money but because he loves the game. For only the league minimum, plenty of guys would walk away. Many would say Adams should probably do the same. He’s clearly got more work to do, and he’ll be doing it for at least another year.
The Titans are adding a veteran safety.
Tennessee has agreed to terms with Jamal Adams, the team announced on Thursday.
Adams, 28, was released by the Seahawks in March after spending the last four years with the club. The former All-Pro was limited to just 10 games over the last two years due to injury. He recorded 48 total tackles with seven tackles for loss and two passes defensed for Seattle in 2023.
Baltimore hosted Adams for a free-agent visit in May, which was the only known team that had expressed that level of interest in the safety.
In joining the Titans, Adams is reuniting with defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who served as Adams’ position coach for the first three years of his career.
In seven seasons, Adams has appeared in 80 games for the Jets and Seahawks. He’s recorded 50 tackles for loss, 42 QB hits, 21.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, 36 passes defensed, and four interceptions in his career.
