22 July 2023 , 15:39
524
0
The Tennessee Titans have reached an agreement on the standard rookie four-year contract with second-round pick Will Levis.
Levis was one of the main talking points from the 2023 NFL Draft, as the Kentucky quarterback made a late surge in the betting markets to become a top-five overall pick. However, not only did Levis slip out of the top five, he went undrafted in the first round despite attending the opening night and conducting interviews on the red carpet.
It was a brutal evening for Levis, but he was selected straight away by the Titans the following night and has now earned himself the standard four-year deal. Levis vowed to put the draft behind him and focus on football and he has now agreed to his rookie deal, per ESPN.
Levis said after the draft: "Regardless of where I got picked, I feel like it's not going to change my work ethic. Regardless of if I went first overall or 33rd. You can't kind of let the circumstances dictate your preparation, and the level of intensity you bring to your everyday practice.
"Definitely a little bit of a chip, but just know that I was going to work hard regardless of where I got picked. ... I ended up where I was meant to be, and I am just looking forward to competing and getting started."
LeBron James edges closer to NBA scoring record with jaw-dropping Lakers display
Ryan Tannehill is likely to be the Titans' starting quarterback for his final season under contract with the Titans, and it was assumed that Levis would be his backup. However, head coach Mike Vrabel announced shortly after the draft that Malik Willis will be favoured as QB2, and Levis will start his NFL career as the third choice with the view to working his way up the depth chart.
"Ryan will be the starting quarterback on Monday," Vrabel revealed at a news conference. "Malik will be the backup. Will will be the third quarterback. And what I've told them is whatever happens after that will be up to the players.
Mike Vrabel has already told Levis he will be third choice (2022 Wesley Hittv)"That's what it's always been like. That's what we always want it to be. That's our job is to bring in competition at every position. It's not a secret. I hope that by now that everybody understands that we have to prove our value to this football team each and every day."
Willis was a rookie last season, but struggled to impress and now he has Levis for competition. Vrabel is giving him the benefit of the doubt this year, but Willis is aware of what he needs to do and doesn't take it personally.
"It's a results-based business," Willis said. "It doesn't matter what I think, it doesn't matter what you think, it just is. I am just focusing on what I can control."