For anyone tuned into the NFL during the 2023 season, it was hard to miss the story of the Giants’ perfectly Italian third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito, who took the sports world by storm after leading the team to 3 straight wins. This season, with Daniel Jones returning from injury, DeVito was sidelined. However, after a lackluster start from Jones and a 2-8 record, the Giants have decided to give someone else a shot, with that person being the passing paisano.
DeVito, or ‘Tommy Cutlets’ as he was crowned by the media, bleeds NJ through and through, growing up in Cedar Grove and attending high school at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey. DeVito, who played college football at Syracuse and Illinois, was an undrafted free agent coming out of college, had offers from multiple teams but chose to stay close to home.
Last season, the Giants were 3-3 when DeVito took the field as a starter, which may not seem impressive, but changes when taking into consideration that they were 3-8 without him as a starter. The Giants will now hope that they can get an even better performance from DeVito this year, with extra time to learn and grow.
While last season’s run for DeVito was one filled with jokes and media buzz over the QB’s overly-Italian antics, he is now more focused on advancing in his career and keeping his eyes on the main goal: winning games. While talking to the media, DeVito recently mentioned how he looks to avoid those antics moving forward and instead shift his energy towards football and football alone.
Though the Giants’ playoff hopes are all but over, this still serves as a great opportunity for DeVito to establish himself as a permanent quarterback in the NFL. Very few are lucky enough to find themselves starting games as a UDFA and a rookie, but thanks to a plethora of injuries and fortunate timing, DeVito got multiple starts last year and made the most of them. However, he was unable to do enough to secure his spot. Now, DeVito has another chance to cement his place in the league for a long time.
As the Giants take on the Buccaneers this Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium, DeVito will look to lead the team to their first victory since Oct. 6. A win wouldn’t just help the team, but could also help pave the way for DeVito to establish himself as the team’s starter moving forward.