The New York Jets entered Sunday’s meeting with the Green Bay Packers believing a 2-0 start was within reach. For three quarters that belief looked justified.
A 17-3 lead at MetLife Stadium suggested control, and the home crowd began to settle into the idea of an early-season statement win. Then the fourth quarter arrived.
Green Bay found its rhythm, the Jets’ offense stalled, and the game drifted into overtime. A late Packers field goal produced a 20-17 defeat and left New York sitting at 1-1 with a difficult road trip to Detroit looming.
While the coaching staff and players processed the collapse, the front office wasted little time addressing the roster.
On Tuesday the Jets signed former Tennessee quarterback Will Levis to the practice squad and released Bailey Zappe to open a spot.
The move, first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, immediately drew attention because of the polarizing nature of the player involved.
Levis entered the 2023 draft as one of its most debated prospects.
Coming out of Kentucky, he possessed the size, arm strength, and competitive temperament that convinced some evaluators he could develop into a long-term starter.
Others remained skeptical that his decision-making and consistency would ever match those physical tools. Tennessee selected him in the second round and gave him an extended look.
Over two seasons he started 21 games and finished with a 5-16 record. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,899 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. A shoulder injury kept him off the field last year, leaving his career at a crossroads until the Jets offered a new opportunity.
New York already has veteran Geno Smith entrenched as the starter and rookie Cade Klubnik developing behind him. There has been no indication whether Levis will be elevated to the active roster this week.
For now, he will work on the practice squad, giving the staff another body to evaluate at a position that demands constant depth.
The timing of the addition, coming so quickly after a frustrating home loss, suggests the organization is unwilling to treat the quarterback room as a finished product.
A trip to face the Lions will require sharper execution than the Jets displayed once Green Bay began its comeback.
Signing Levis does not solve that problem overnight, but it does signal that the front office is keeping its options open rather than standing still after a missed chance to start the season 2-0.
