Former Jets QB disaster was somehow just given another NFL lifeline

Tennessee Titans fans, you might want to brace yourselves — the Tim Boyle curse could be coming for you next. Somehow, someway, Boyle was just gifted another NFL lifeline on the eve of training camp.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday morning that Titans quarterback Will Levis will undergo season-ending surgery on the same shoulder he injured last year. The Titans suddenly find themselves one injury away from disaster.

Or more specifically, they're one Tim Boyle appearance away from disaster. Yes, that Tim Boyle. The same Tim Boyle who has somehow, against every conceivable football law, worked his way back into a legitimate QB2 battle.

With Levis out, Boyle could now be in line to earn the primary backup job behind rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. His main competition is fellow career clipboard-holder Brandon Allen, who has thrown exactly one touchdown pass since the 2021 season.

And if you’ve followed the Tim Boyle experience over the years, you already know how this ends. History suggests Boyle will find his way onto the field one way or another.

Ex-Jets QB Tim Boyle was just gifted another golden opportunity

It’s hard to overstate just how inexplicable Boyle’s football career has been. Boyle went 0-8 as a starter at UConn, throwing just one touchdown pass and 13 interceptions (yes, that’s a real stat line).

He later transferred down to FCS-level Eastern Kentucky, was a backup for a year, and then finally started in 2017 as a redshirt senior, when he proceeded to throw 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a 4-7 team.

That resume alone would be the end of the road for 99.9% of college football quarterbacks. But somehow, Boyle managed to get a shot with the Green Bay Packers in 2018.

Since then, he’s carved out an unfathomable eight-year NFL career with eight different teams, mostly bouncing around as a backup with a near-mythical ability to land on active rosters despite offering next to nothing on the field.

Boyle’s tenure with the Jets in 2023 was somehow both expected and surreal. He was signed largely due to his close relationship with Aaron Rodgers and his familiarity with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s system.

But when forced onto the field following Zach Wilson's benching, Boyle was, predictably, terrible. He started two games, both losses, including the infamous 30-0 Black Friday beatdown against the Dolphins that felt like a franchise rock bottom at the time.

Once again, however, the Boyle train kept chugging. He somehow managed to convince two separate teams to put him on the field in 2024.

He played for the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants last season, throwing a combined one touchdown and one interception while completing 54 percent of his passes. Naturally, he appeared in a blowout loss for the Giants late in the season because of course he did.

All of this brings us back to Tennessee, where Boyle signed a one-year deal with the Titans in March. At the time, he was viewed as little more than camp depth behind Levis and rookie No. 1 pick Cam Ward. But now, with Levis out for the year and journeyman Brandon Allen as the only other QB in the room, Boyle is somehow in real contention to be QB2 again.

He’s still never won an NFL game. He’s thrown just five touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the NFL with a 5.2 yards per attempt average (somehow better than his college numbers!). He’s not mobile, doesn’t have a big arm, and has never once shown promise at this level or the one before it.

And yet… here he is again. Somehow. He can't keep getting away with it, right?

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