The New York Jets have opened the Will Levis era at the bottom rung of the roster, agreeing to terms with the former Tennessee Titans quarterback on a practice squad deal Tuesday.
Levis, a 2023 second-round pick who started 21 games over two seasons in Nashville, will take the spot vacated by Bailey Zappe, whom the Jets are releasing in a corresponding move. His career PFF grades tell the story of why he’s auditioning for a No. 3 job instead of a starting one, with his 2024 passing grade settling in the bottom third of the league.
A third arm behind Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Levis lands in a quarterback room that isn’t going anywhere near him anytime soon. Geno Smith is entrenched as the starter, and rookie Cade Klubnik has already been named the primary backup after a modest but composed preseason. That leaves Levis fighting for reps and a potential emergency call-up role, not a path to snaps.
The Titans moved on from Levis during final roster cuts on Aug. 30, ending a three-plus-year run that started with real promise and ended in a benching. He completed 61% of his passes for 3,899 yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions across his 21 starts, and missed all of 2025 recovering from shoulder surgery after Tennessee drafted Cam Ward first overall.
Multiple outlets confirmed Levis had worked out for the Jets earlier this month, a sign this move had been in the works before Tuesday’s report.
For New York, it’s a low-cost flier on arm talent that once made Levis a second-round pick out of Kentucky. The team confirmed the corresponding cut of Zappe, who had held the practice squad quarterback spot since the summer. Pelissero’s original report framed the move as strictly organizational depth, not a signal of dissatisfaction with Klubnik’s early development.
Whether Levis ever sees the field for the Jets is a separate question. This is a roster-management move, one that nets New York a talented arm parked behind two other quarterbacks and costs them less than the roster minimum.
