Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan gave his first public comments on Wednesday since suffering a torn ACL in the second game of the season on Sept. 19.
During a segment of Lewan’s podcast “Bussin’ with the Boys,” accompanied by former teammate and co-host Will Compton, the 31-year-old Lewan discussed the season-ending knee injury and the uncertainty of his future with both the Titans and the NFL.
Lewan has one year remaining on his contract with the Titans, and is set to make $14.8 million with no guarantees in 2023.
“It’s tough, but it really just turns into it’s out of your control,” Lewan said. “So like I kind of sit there and wonder, what if I am done as a Titan? Because you never know what’s going to happen. What if it’s over for me? What if football is done with me? … I’ve got a lot to think about. I’ve got a lot to do in the next few months to figure out what I want my life to look like in the future.”
Taylor Lewan Speaks On ACL Injury & Future W/ Tennessee Titans + SPOOKTOBER IS HERE
ROSTER MOVES:Tennessee Titans sign DL Sam Okuayinonu to active roster
BURKS INJURY:Tennessee Titans still evaluating Treylon Burks’ foot injury, no timetable for return
Lewan mentioned that he’ll have to get another operation on his right knee to live a normal life and potentially resume his football career. He suffered a torn ACL in 2020 and missed five games in 2021 due to other issues with his knee, saying it never fully healed.
After failing to stay healthy for the past few seasons with Tennessee, Lewan may be a cut candidate for next season in the final year of his contract.
“Last year during the season, I had issues,” Lewan said. “My knee was swelling up. I was always feeling pain in there, and I was like, `I don’t know what the deal is.’
“Turns out this year, I found out that there are things with my knee going on now that are a direct correlation to what happened when I got my knee done. So, I have to go and get my knee fixed, to be able to play football or to live like a normal life in general.”
Lewan, who was selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, played in 62 games from 2015-18 and made three trips to the Pro Bowl (2016-18). However, Lewan missed 34 of the Titans’ last 66 regular-season games – primarily because of the two ACL injuries, as well as a four-game PED suspension in 2019.