Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan is facing an unusual situation this offseason: he’s almost certainly going to get cut, which means he could be playing for a different team in 2023.
Lewan isn’t shying away from that, either. In fact, Lewan said he fully expects to be let go after yet another injury-shortened campaign.
“In the next couple of weeks, I will be cut by the Tennessee Titans — that will happen,” Lewan said. “I truly believe that in my heart of hearts. Then I have to go into a situation that I’ve never been in in my entire life: I have to weigh the pros and cons of playing football, or not playing football.”
The reason I said “could” be playing for a different team in 2023 is exactly because of that last part of Lewan’s quote above.
With the money he’s made and the love of his family, the veteran left tackle and successful podcaster is content with where his life is at right now, which might lead to him retiring at the age of 31 instead.
“Listen, I would put my life up against anybody’s — I have a fantastic life,” Lewan said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “I have a wife that is truly incredible, puts up with my [expletive] on a daily basis, and loves me for it. She actually enjoys the [expletive].
“Then there’s my two daughters — my five-year-old is the sweetest thing in the entire world, your textbook ‘Loves unicorns, rainbows and puppies’, and my two-year-old is an absolute firecracker who is going to get what she wants, when she wants it, and how she wants it. And, they all love me. It is amazing, really. I am alright. I don’t have to work… That’s not me pumping my tires, that’s just the reality of where I am at right now at 31-years-old, and it’s a good feeling knowing where I’ve come from in my life when I was younger.”
While it feels like there’s a slim-at-best chance he will return, Lewan did reiterate his desire to stay in Nashville and seems open to the idea of taking a pay cut, which will be vital for his hopes of remaining with the Titans.
“Obviously my contract is $14 million next year,” Lewan said. “If they come back and are like, ‘If you want to come back, this is the number we’ll bring you back at’ I’m sure there will be somewhat of a conversation of: How does your knee look? Are you interested in playing? Mike and I have a fantastic relationship. Mike and I talk, we text, he makes fun of me and Will on a group chat on a consistent basis. It’s a great relationship. So, there will be a lot of transparency and he’ll tell me how he feels and what he thinks and if he thinks that’s a good thing for them, then there is absolutely a conversation to be had. If I was going to play another year, my preferred spot would be where I’ve been for the last nine years. I’m a loyal guy, and it would feel very uncomfortable for me to wear a different uniform.”
