The Tennessee Titans officially made the switch at quarterback on Tuesday after head coach Mike Vrabel named rookie quarterback Will Levis the starter over veteran Ryan Tannehill for the rest of the season.
The move was to be expected after Levis posted two impressive showings in Tannehill’s absence, something that has given the fan base renewed hope, both for now and the future.
Tannehill spoke with the media on Wednesday and shared his reaction to the decision.
“It hits hard,” Tannehill said, per Jim Wyatt. “I’ve never been in this situation before, so it hits hard and it’s never a situation anyone wants to be in. But it’s the situation I’m in, so I’ve got to walk through it.”
“I want to handle the situation with class,” he added, per Paul Kuharsky. “It’s not a fun situation to be in, but I want to be a pro and handle it with class and still be a guy that people can look to.”
When asked about the guy taking over for him, Tannehill had nothing but good things to say about Levis and added he wants to help the rookie out, however he can.
“He’s done some good things, obviously,” Tannehill said, according to AtoZ Sports. “He came in and played really well the first game and did some good things last game, as well. I’m going to be here to answer any questions he has and help him out along the way.”
Upon naming Levis the starter, Vrabel revealed that Tannehill would be the backup, which is the same role he previously held when he first arrived in Nashville in 2019.
While there’s no doubt the last few years have been rough for him, all the good Tannehill did for this franchise can’t be overlooked.
Ryan Tannehill said he didn’t initially think when he got hurt vs. Baltimore he would be losing the starting job, but said as time went on and Levi’s did well, he started processing his emotions and knew it was a possibility pic.twitter.com/ZZT9KGSmdb
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) November 8, 2023
Lest we forget, the Titans were dead in the water in 2019 before he took over and helped lead the team to an elite offense from Week 7 of that season through the 2020 campaign.
Tennessee made the playoffs three times with Tannehill under center, and one of those trips ended in the AFC Championship Game.
Outside of Steve McNair, no other quarterback in the Titans era made the kind of impact Tannehill did, and while the “what ifs” are certainly warranted, his tenure in Nashville should be viewed fondly overall.
