Will Levis Sees 'Positive Future' with Titans or 'Somewhere Else' After Benching

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis mentioned the possibility that he could find success with another NFL team following the Titans' decision to bench him ahead of Week 16.

"I still believe that I can be a franchise quarterback for this team. I have the utmost confidence in myself and my ability to lead any team in the league," Levis said on Wednesday. "And I think that this year was great development for me, and I think I truly did improve. And I sure as heck don't want to go out like that.

"I know that there's a positive future for me, whether it's here or somewhere else. I've just gotta have the conversations I need to here, and hopefully I can show and prove that I can still be the guy."

Levis was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's 37-27 loss after committing four turnovers against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Head coach Brian Callahan announced on Wednesday that Mason Rudolph would start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

When asked to compare his situation to that of Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, Levis indicated that he had been following the benching and subsequent call-ups of both signal callers earlier this season.

"I think they did both did a great job of handling it the right way, and keeping their heads straight, and staying prepared, because they were able to come back and perform better when they came back, I believe," Levis said.

Rudolph played the majority of four games earlier this season while Levis was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

The game against the Colts will mark Rudolph's first start in place of a healthy Levis, who heads into Week 16 tied for fourth in the NFL with 12 interceptions to match his 12 touchdown passes.

He threw three of those picks against the Bengals, adding a fumble before he was benched in favor of Rudolph.

Callahan told reporters when announcing Rudolph's upcoming Week 16 start on Wednesday that he believed the benching "doesn't mean this is the end of Will's ability to be a good quarterback."

"I still believe very much in Will, I still plan on coaching him hard, he's still going to be ready to play. Those are all things that we have to be able to do. And he's under contract, and he's still part of our team," Callahan said during a Wednesday press conference.

Unlike Levis, who has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract, Rudolph is on an expiring deal and set to hit free agency this spring. The Panthers will need to re-evaluate Levis' place on the depth chart after their season wraps up without a playoff berth for a third straight year.