Will Levis got benched by the Titans while hosting a shopping spree for Special Olympics athletes

In the season of giving, the Tennessee Titans gave Will Levis a bah humbug and a big fat lump of coal. While the former Wildcat was hosting a shopping spree for Special Olympics athletes at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Franklin, TN on Tuesday, the franchise made the decision to bench him in favor of Mason Rudolph.

It’s a decision that may signal the end of Levis’ time in Nashville after joining the team in 2023.

“The Tennessee Titans are planning to make a switch at quarterback this week,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Tuesday. “Mason Rudolph is the logical candidate to step in for starter Will Levis, who likely heads to the bench barring surprise.”

Levis is coming off an abysmal performance against the Cincinnati Bengals that included three interceptions and a lost fumble while finishing with 89 yards on 8-12 passing before being replaced by Rudolph to close out the game. He became the first player this season with multiple halves of zero touchdowns and three-plus turnovers, a mark he also hit in Week 1 against Chicago. Kirk Cousins and Mac Jones are the only other players in the league with one such half.

Missing three games with a shoulder injury, Levis has completed 181-284 passes for a hit rate of 63.7 percent with 1,916 yards and 12 touchdowns with 12 interceptions — plus five lost fumbles. He’s averaging 1.6 turnovers per game this season, the most of any quarterback with at least 11 games played since Jameis Winston’s record-setting 33-touchdown, 30-interception season in 2019.

Tennessee is 4-16 overall in Levis’ 20 career starts and just 1-9 in 2024. He was taken with the No. 33 overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The decision to bench Levis comes while he was hosting a local charity event, giving $200 each to 20 athletes with the Special Olympics to shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“We’re having a lot of fun here at Dick’s Sporting Goods with the Special Olympics athletes here in Tennessee. Doing some Christmas shopping, having some fun,” Levis said at the event. “It’s an organization I’ve been involved with since I was a kid. I can remember close family members of ours dealing with someone with special needs and being such a great inspiration to those around them. It’s always made me inspired to work with those athletes when I was in a position to make an impact with them.

“When I was at Penn State, we did some work there with the PA chapter. Kentucky, same thing. Then when I got here, I did the same thing with Tennessee’s. It’s been fun to do the things we’ve been able to do.”

.@Titans QB @will_levis hosted 20 @SpecialOlympics athletes for a holiday shopping spree today at @DICKS in Cool Springs. The children had $200 to spend on items in the store.

🎥 pic.twitter.com/vN5FY1NArF

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 17, 2024

Will Levis represented Kentucky well during his time in Lexington both on and off the field. He continues to be a good dude off the field in Nashville, but unfortunately, the on-field struggles have piled up to the point of change for the Titans.