2023 NFL Draft QB Will Levis is back in the league with the New York Jets after a hard stretch that included shoulder surgery and an expensive fight to remove hacked intimate footage online
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The New York Jets are signing QB Will Levis to a practice squad deal
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NFL quarterback Will Levis, who hasn't thrown a pass in a regular-season game for over 600 days after a lengthy shoulder injury rehab process, has spent a significant amount of energy to to get a private video scraped from the internet, but a new practice squad deal could be all that's needed to turn his on-field career around.
After missing a year due to the shoulder injury the former Tennessee Titans starting quarterback is getting a second chance in the NFL with the New York Jets, who signed him to their practice squad following an earlier tryout.
The Titans once believed in the former second-rounder as their next franchise quarterback after selecting him in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Levis has since been replaced by top overall 2025 pick Cam Ward after a string of shaky play.
"There are not 32 quarterbacks in this league better than me. I know that for sure," Levis said during the preseason. "I know I've put the tape out there already that I'm a dang good quarterback in this league."
Levis left Tennessee with a 5-16 record as a starter, 3,899 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 16 picks on a 61 percent completion rate.
He now faces the climb from the practice squad to the bottom of the Jets’ depth chart, and up to the top, which features trusted starter Geno Smith and rookie Cade Klubnik.
Will Levis is tackled by D'Anthony Bell
Levis last played in Week 12 of the 2024 season
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The Jets cut former New England Patriots starter Bailey Zappe to clear a spot for Levis, but the football setbacks were just one piece of his rough year away from the field.
Smith has given New York and head coach Aaron Glenn little reason to make any changes at the starting spot. The Jets starter has completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 462 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions.
Smith ranks fifth among qualifying QBs through two games and the Jets have a 1-1 record. He also ranks eighth in passing EPA and 10th in Expected Points Added per dropback.
Will Levis drops back to throw a pass
The Jets dropped Bailey Zappe to make room for Levis
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The new Jets practice QB is also behind Klubnik, who earned the No. 2 job after appearing in all three preseason games. The fourth-round pick completed 21 of 34 passes for 190 yards with one interception and has yet to take a regular-season snap.
Levis' mother Beth revealed earlier this year that her son spent an "exorbitant amount of money” after private intimate footage involving him and a former girlfriend was stolen and leaked online.
Beth said Levis hired a cybersecurity specialist and a private investigator after a hack originating in Eastern Europe. She noted that completely erasing content from the web is nearly impossible, even though much has been erased.