Will Levis is back on the market, and the next move in his NFL career needs to be a smart one.
The Tennessee Titans cut the former second-round pick on Sunday, and after he cleared waivers, Levis is now a free agent. It’s a rough turn for a quarterback who came into the league with real hopes of becoming a starter.
“Thank you, Tennessee!! Always gonna hold a special place in my heart,” Levis wrote on X after the release. “Onward!”
But the next stop for Levis should not be about chasing an instant starting job. He needs the right landing spot, one where the pressure is lighter and the path is clearer. A chance to compete for a backup role could be the reset he needs.
New England stands out first. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was the man in Tennessee when the Titans picked Levis out of Kentucky in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, so there’s already built-in familiarity there. Vrabel knows what Levis does well and where the issues are, which makes the Patriots an obvious fit to consider.
Drake Maye is locked in as the franchise quarterback, so there’s no opening at the top. But Tommy DeVito is currently behind him, and that gives Levis a real chance to battle for the QB2 job.
That’s the lane Levis should be looking for now. Reconnect with a coach who already knows him, earn a role as a dependable backup, and stop trying to force his way back into a starting job before he’s ready.
The Jets also make sense as a place where Levis wouldn’t be asked to rescue anything on day one.
Geno Smith is in place as the starter, and rookie Cade Klubnik currently holds the backup spot after a strong preseason. Klubnik should get a chance to grow, but Levis would bring another experienced arm into that room.
He has a lot more NFL experience than Klubnik, even if the results haven’t been what anyone hoped. That still counts. If Levis can win the backup competition, he’d be one injury away from another shot.
And Smith isn’t a long-term answer in New York, either. That doesn’t mean Levis is suddenly the future, but the uncertainty could make the Jets appealing if he thinks he can work his way back into the conversation.
Tampa Bay might offer the cleanest route to a backup job. Baker Mayfield is firmly set as the Buccaneers’ starter, and Jalon Daniels is currently listed behind him.
Levis wouldn’t be there to challenge Mayfield, and that shouldn’t be the goal. The more realistic fight would be with Daniels for the QB2 role. There’s also value in being around Mayfield, whose own career took a winding path before he landed in Tampa Bay and rebuilt his stock.
That kind of reset is what Levis needs. The raw talent that made him such an interesting prospect is still there, but it hasn’t turned into steady NFL quarterback play.
So his next team shouldn’t be about being handed the keys. It should be about finding the place that gives him the best chance to stick around and earn another real opportunity.
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