The Tennessee Titans had a season to forget in 2024, but their ineptitude led to the team receiving a coveted reward — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
One player that the Titans have been linked a ton to with that No. 1 overall pick has been Abdul Carter, and it isn't hard to see why. The high-end quarterbacks in this upcoming draft class are not anything to write home about, and Carter might be the best player available. Carter can help transform Tennessee's defensive line, which already has Jeffery Simmons and a couple of other intriguing talents in the mix.
While a Carter selection would be easy to justify, it appears as if Tennessee is going in another direction, with one particular Will Levis rumor from NFL Insider Josina Anderson showing why.
Evening Notes: The offseason Carousel continues to churn.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 19, 2025
I was just told these two quarterback names came up in recent preliminary* trade inquiries or internal discussions, per a league source: Kirk Cousins and Will Levis.
“Atlanta has been getting calls.”
(I heard talk of a… pic.twitter.com/fxBfHDiada
Anderson reveals that Will Levis' name has circulated in trade rumors. Well, if the Titans are going to trade him, or are even considering trading him, chances are, they're likely going to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick.
Titans Will Levis trade stance makes it likely they'll pass on Abdul Carter
Whether that quarterback is Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders remains to be seen, but the Titans contemplating moving on from Levis suggests that one of those two quarterbacks will be selected by Tennessee.
This makes a lot of sense. Levis has started 21 games in the last two seasons with the Titans after Tennessee drafted him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the results have been extremely underwhelming. Levis has completed 61 percent of his throws over those 21 games, and has five more turnovers (26) than touchdown passes (21). The Titans have gone 5-16 in his appearances.
Levis has made it abundantly clear that he is not a starting-caliber quarterback at the NFL level, so if the Titans are able to trade him, they should. With Mason Rudolph gone already, the Titans will need a Levis replacement if he is traded. With there being no enticing options in free agency, the draft will almost certainly be where they find that replacement.
Whether this is the right move or not can be debated. Carter might very well be the best player in the draft, but defensive linemen are not as valuable as quarterbacks. If the Titans believe Ward or Sanders can be their franchise quarterback, it'd be hard to fault them for going in that direction. What's abundantly clear is that Levis is not that guy, and the Titans listening to offers for his services proves they feel the same way.