Will Levis’ time in Tennessee has come to an end.
The Titans waived the former Kentucky standout after three seasons with the franchise, closing a chapter that never quite found steady ground. Levis entered the league as the No. 33 overall pick in 2023 and was once viewed as the long-term answer in Nashville, but Tennessee has now moved in another direction after drafting Cam Ward at No. 1 in 2025.
Levis showed real promise early. His rookie year featured flashes that kept the optimism alive, and he eventually took over the starting job in November. In nine games that season, he threw for 1,808 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
The next year told a different story. Installed as the full-time starter in 2024, Levis opened by leading the league in turnovers with seven interceptions in his first five games, and Tennessee went 1-4 during that stretch. Injuries and uneven play kept disrupting his season, and he finished with 2,091 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 12 games.
Even as the Titans publicly spoke about him as a possible long-term option, the team’s actions said otherwise. General manager Mike Borgonzi voiced belief in Levis before Tennessee used the top pick on Ward, a move that effectively shut the door on Levis as the starter. He later underwent season-ending surgery in July, which sidelined him for all of 2025, and the Titans added Mitchell Trubisky to compete with him as Ward’s backup entering 2026.
After three preseason games that gave extended looks to both quarterbacks, Tennessee chose Trubisky as QB2 and sent Levis into the open market.
“I don’t want to predict or talk about things that haven’t happened yet, so we’ll get there when we get there,” Levis said of his future as a Titan following the team’s final preseason game on Saturday.
There was at least some thought that his old Kentucky connection could help in Nashville, especially after Wan’Dale Robinson’s move to the Titans this offseason raised the possibility of recreating some of the magic from their record-setting 2021 season in Lexington. That never got a chance to play out in a game.
Levis’ college résumé still stands out. In two seasons at Kentucky, the Penn State transfer tied Terry Wilson for the second-most quarterback wins since 1993 with 17. He also finished fifth on the school’s all-time touchdown list with 43, sixth in passing yards with 5,233 and had six 300-yard games, tied for the fourth-most in program history.
That production helped make him a first-round consideration coming out of college, and Tennessee ultimately traded up on day two to take him with the first pick of the second round.
Three head coaches later, Levis is looking for a new start.
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