Like all humans, NFL quarterbacks have specific scents and odors. That simple sentence opens a terrifying array of doors, so we’ll skip the obvious ones and steer clear of the in-game and post-game locker room possibilities. Instead, we’ll focus on Will Levis and his new venture in the fragrance field, where he joins jocks like David Beckham, Derek Jeter, and MJ as stars who have dabbled in this unique universe.
As you might expect given the young Tennessee quarterback’s status compared to these sports icons, Levis is taking the low road. He’s chosen to carve out a special path with his own condiment cologne. Specifically, we’re talking mayonnaise, aka Eau de Mayo, although Levis’s unique perfume is called “Will Levis No. 8, Parfum de Mayonnaise.”
The Levis-Mayo backstory
Cue the drum rimshots, right? It sounds like a great goof; maybe as a training camp prank, the veterans would pull to embarrass the rookies in a way that’s maybe never been done before (thankfully).
But Levis is serious about this. He’s talked before about putting a dab of mayo in his coffee, which isn’t uncommon, as much as it probably tends to horrify the foodies who also happen to be NFL fans.
That seriousness extends to offering almost a half-dozen flavors, including tart lemon, the slightly terrifying-sounding “mayonnaise accord,” and something called “coffee undertones,” which sounds like it would lead to genuine medical symptoms if you happened to get a bad batch.
But the smell of early success is also in the air here. Batch #1 sold out quickly, with a 30 ml bottle going for $8, according to the Athletic. The quarterback’s commercial for the stuff is also being hailed as “brilliant,” largely because it features Levis dipping his finger into a jar of Hellman’s—his partner in culinary crime here—and whispering “eggy.”
Will Levis' scent on the field
As amusing as this all is, what Titans fans really care about is whether Levis lays an egg on the field this year. After taking over for Ryan Tannehill in late October, Levis threw for 238 yards and 4 TDs against the Falcons, leading many to believe the Titans had found their QB of the future.
Shortly thereafter, though, Levis’s performances turned a little…well, ripe. He failed to reach 200 yards in three straight games, as the Titans lost to the Steelers, Bucs, and Jags, respectively, in those contests.
More will be expected this year if Levis wants to continue his career as an NFL starter rather than a future mayo pitchman. He’ll enter this season with free agent acquisition Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd available as weapons, and with the departed Derrick Henry now in Baltimore, Tennessee’s offense should be a lot more wide-open and explosive.
No one has any idea what that will mean on the mayonnaise front, Levis included, but it’s fairly easy to accurately speculate. The rules for being an athletic pitchman are simple—play well, you sell more product. Stumble on the field, and the Levis family basement will likely be full of boxes of the pungent condiment.
Can Levis make the second-year leap that’s now expected of second-year starters? He certainly has the weapons, and in Brian Callahan, he has a new coach who was hired for his offensive talents. Callahan is basically the polar opposite of Mike Vrabel, who was a staunch ground-and-pound guy who rode Henry to a lot of success but couldn’t get Tennessee over the top.
Levis will ultimately be judged by his ability to do that. He won’t necessarily have to do it right away, but the honeymoon grace period for young quarterbacks typically flies by in a nanosecond or three these days. Levis’s first measuring stick performance is coming fast, as he’ll be opposing Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. If the Tennessee QB lays an egg in the Windy City, mayo sales will be the least of his concerns.