He has only been in the NFL for three years, but quarterback Tommy DeVito has already had a journey entertaining enough to make a quality episode of “A Football Life.”

DeVito has gone from the stud prospect of the Tri-State area to a rollercoaster collegiate career to starting on Monday Night Football for his hometown team, becoming a cult hero among Big Blue faithful in his two-year tenure with the New York Giants.

On Aug. 27, 2025, DeVito’s career took an abrupt turn, as the New England Patriots claimed him off of waivers. It turns out the Pats had coveted the Syracuse and Illinois QB during the 2023 NFL Draft process, losing out to the Giants in signing him as an undrafted free agent.

DeVito became a backup to starter Drake Maye and has made a huge impact inside the quarterback room as the Patriots have quickly evolved from AFC East doormat to AFC Champions.

Ahead of beginning practice for Super Bowl LX, DeVito talked with EssentiallySports about his journey to the sport’s biggest game and all the crazy chapters leading to this career climax.

Ahead of prepping for your first Super Bowl practice, you did some further work for Progressive Insurance beyond the commercial earlier in the season. It involved helping a fantasy football loser pay off his debt by setting up a lemonade stand at Patriot Place in 10-degree weather.

I can tell you that it was very cold. I’ll tell you that. It was it was probably like, ballpark, probably 10 degrees. It felt like it was below zero, but it was a lot of fun. 

We set up a lemonade stand, had some freelancers that were walking through Patriot Place and got ’em to get some free lemonade.

It’s a pretty, it’s a pretty crappy deal if you will. Do you play fantasy? 

I do. I’ve been playing for 30 years and can proudly say I’ve never finished in the absolute cellar to have to submit to league punishments.

It was actually my first year playing fantasy, so I understand why everybody goes crazy about it. I don’t know why I didn’t play in the past, likely because I’m too busy playing. I did not win, but I did not come in last.

Our loser had to do something a little bit different, but I’m sure this kid’s friends got a kick out of it knowing that he was gonna be doing this in probably five-degree weather outdoors in the snow, selling lemonade. 

He got the last laugh doing it with Tommy DeVito though. 

Oh, for sure. But it all ties back into the Progressive deal and everything that we’ve done leading up to this point. 

You mentioned the commercial and I think that it ties into myself and how my career has been thus far. Just being an undrafted free agent and then going into starting games, and every year you see how important the quarterback position is. Teams have guys go down and then you see who is serviceable, who is not, depending on what the situations are.

And I think that Progressive really tied into that for me, because you need to have good coverage. When the worst happens, you want to have someone that you trust and know they can step in to any role needed.

So I think that Progressive ties into how my career has been, being able to go in and execute, do what I need to do.

I have loved all of the backup commercials, but your photo shoot commercial was fantastic. 

I was gonna say, yeah, that was the best one. Tell the Progressive folks that too, please. Hopefully they’re listening and watching and reading this.

Case Keenum and Jacoby Brissett were great last year, Tyler Huntley, Mitch Trubisky, Teddy Bridgewater, all great this year. But your look in that photo shoot … having been part of or having tried to execute those photo shoots before, your look there was just like classic. 

Appreciate it. Yeah, it was a good time. It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun.

Doing that whole thing and obviously seeing the finished product is even better. 

Tell us a little bit in terms of how you and the Patriots came together. 

Long story short, I got a phone call saying we are going to New England. That’s from my agent, Sean Stallato. Actually, that’s a lie. (Giants head coach Brian) Daboll called me.

Daboll called me first and was like … well, the language wasn’t family-friendly. But it was some pretty fiery words that he was not happy.

He was like, “Congrats.”

And I was like, “What are we talking about? You must know something that I don’t.” 

And he was like, “They’ll call you in a minute. Goodbye.” 

And then click, hung up the phone, and my agent called me. And then Dabes and I talked again. He’s my guy. I love him. 

They had Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston at that point, but it seemed like they were hoping you’d clear waivers so they could keep you on the practice squad.

Yeah, they were selfishly praying for it, I guess. Because I have a really good relationship with all of them. Actually got off the phone with Daboll a little while ago, congratulating him on that Tennessee offensive coordinator job. And I was close with all those guys. 

But yeah, got a call from my agent, obviously he’s from up this way up in Boston.

He was like, “TD, you’re coming to Boston.” And then that’s how that was. So it’s been a lot of fun thus far. I think it’s worked out. 

What has it been like for you to just be part of this quarterback room and just see this evolution throughout the year? 

Obviously because I didn’t get to go through OTAs or training camps, so my first look at the team was the last preseason game, which I know it’s preseason and certain people are playing and whatever it is, but my first look at the team was really the first game, and a little bit of me was like, “Here we go again.” Like, is this team better than a 4-13 team? 

And then, you just saw the evolution of not only Drake, but the rest of the team and starting to believe in themselves. Because it’s a very young team. I don’t know how what it stacks up against the rest of the NFL, but there are so many rookies and first- or second-year guys that are playing on this team.

They haven’t tasted winning in the NFL, and I think there are a lot of vets that are in the same boat. 

And it just goes to show how to not take this for granted. The evolution of Drake Maye getting better from week one to now, it has been impressive to see. Not only his knowledge of the game, but his comprehension of a new and complex offense. And I give kudos to Josh McDaniels because his offense is legit and asks a lot of the QBs.

It’s exciting to try to execute it and if you’re able to handle that … well,  you see how well Drake is playing and the offense is clicking.  

This week we don’t have to play in 10- or 15-degree weather with snowstorms. So I think we’ll be all right. And yeah, it’s been really fun to be a part of. 

And Vrabes (head coach Mike Vrabel) is one of the best. He’s one of the best, iff not the best, I have been around and has a really great personality and I think that the team has bought into him, and I think that’s all the difference. 

How do you buy into that when you’ve got a team that’s 4-13 the last two seasons? Listen, I’m a lifelong Patriots fan, I’m ride or die, but 4-13 is 4-13. So to even imagine this happening at this stage. It’s just insane.

Yeah, I wish I can give you the answer for that, but I can’t. (Big laugh from DeVito). I think all of that happened throughout OTAs and training camp. I came at the end of camp but I’ve been around enough camps to know within the first couple days that this was different right here. It’s just a different mentality that he was instilling in all of us.

That was my first time ever being around Vrabel. He garners instant respect. It’s someone who has been there, done it, played the positions, played Super Bowls … literally done it all as a player and is able to be your boy and talk to you a certain way. 

But he also has a powerful switch that flips that, like, he means business. He’s able to be cool and hang out with you and all, as long as you’re handling your business on the field and in the meeting rooms.

So I think there’s a really fine line. I think some guys get too like tense around him ’cause he’s a very stern, like strict guy and he’ll crack a joke and some people will kind of tense up. And he’ll give you a tough look and then say, “Relax, I’m joking.”

He is rare, but he has a really good balance. The best I’ve been around having that balance, and I think that’s really important.

You’re there with a guy like Joshua Dobbs, who has been in the league with six teams since 2018. How have you guys contributed in making sure the moment’s not too big for Drake and the rest of the team?

Dobbs has been around, and he’s been thrown into some crazy situations. So to be able to take that experience and to help ’em out from time to time, it’s important to have those guys that have seen a lot in this wild league. 

And we’ve developed a vibe now. We know when to speak up, when to load up our guys with a lot of information and when to be more quiet with our words and just speak in actions. 

We’ve been around enough different quarterbacks. I’m in my third year in the league and probably the 10th or 11th quarterback that I’ve worked with, so you have to learn how people interact and how much information they can take, like on a practice day versus a game day. Because everybody’s different, some people are very quiet.

Even though they can be playing at a high level. Some people are very quiet on game days. Some people are loud. There’s a big difference. So being able to learn that, and then me and Josh just giving any input we can at any point as vets who have seen a thing or two.

We try to make it like it’s having a coach with you on the practice field, just a coach that’s playing through snaps alongside you.

You’ve had a wild ride. You go from the Under Armour High School All-American Game to Syracuse, where you have one great year before getting injured. You ultimately transfer to Illinois as a fifth-year senior and excel. 

Then you go from an undrafted free agent to winning Monday Night Football games as the starter for the Giants and now, in a Super Bowl with the Patriots. What has this journey been like for you? 

It’s definitely been a rollercoaster, but for the best. Everybody has a different journey, a different path to where they want to get to. And I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened with mine because I think adversity is part of the game.

It’s part of football, it’s what makes this game the best sport in the world. And you have to be able to go through all that. Looking back on our season, some of the losses we went through were important, they needed to happen. 

To start slow, the losses to the Raiders and Steelers. Then the loss to Buffalo after we went on the 10-game win streak, it’s all important.

I had a loss like that Buffalo loss when I began my year at Illinois. We felt like we were a lock to beat Indiana in my second game that year … and this is Indiana pre-Cignetti when they were bad. And we lost, 23-20. And it just proved to be a reset for the season. 

But we lost that game and it was like a reawakening, like teams are not gonna roll over for you. And I think that kind of reminds me of the second Buffalo game.

As much as obviously you wanna win that game, I think it might’ve been good to like open everybody’s eyes and realize that. Winning is not just going to happen because of the New England Patriots and the organization’s track record. And you have to go out and play all 60 minutes, and even more, until the clock hits zero to win these games.

It’s cliche, but it’s not easy to win in the NFL. And I think that the way that we’ve done it this year, especially on the road, has helped us a lot. 

I’ve seen a lot over covering the league for close to three decades. It’s crazy to think a loss can help, but when you go on that kind of roll, you start to feel invincible and it becomes a weird kind of pressure. So it’s almost good to get that loss out of the way before one loss ends the season. 

Yeah, the playoffs are all about getting hot at the right time and even the back end of the season before the playoffs, like when our team started to hit our stride, sometimes a loss like the Buffalo game is what a team needs. 

And I think that helped us like get our feet back under us and keep us going to now hit this peak coming into this next week. 

This has been an insane trio of games, with wins coming in all kinds of ways, as both the offense and, especially, the defense stepped up in clutch moments. Where’s the team’s head at? Where’s the teams head at? Heading out to Santa Clara. 

I think that we know we’re gonna be in better weather. That certainly helps. 

But, I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships. Like when you have a defense that’s performing at this level it’s special. And, offensively, like we talked about, it doesn’t matter what the stats are. It doesn’t matter if Drake goes for 800 yards or 100 yards.

All that matters at the end of that game as being 1 and 0. And that’s what we’re chasing.

No matter how we get to it, whether that’s against the Chargers and we have to score however we have to score, or we’re playing against the Texans with the number one defense in the NFL that cause so many turnovers every game.

Figuring out a way to just win that game, playing in 10-degree weather, or going to Denver in a hostile environment and playing in the snow, and just finding a way to pull it out in the end. 

No matter what, it is all about getting that win. You don’t care what how it happens. We are going to the Super Bowl and we are focused on winning this game.

The NFL Draft is coming up. You went through the whole process, played in the Shrine Bowl, went to the Combine. You’re a perfect example. Not everyone is going to get drafted. What’s your advice to those undrafted free agents on how to maneuver the process?

You can’t believe everything. Everybody’s gonna sell you. Your agent is gonna tell you that you’re gonna get drafted in the second round. I’m not saying Sean was saying that to me, but everyone is shooting high, right? So you go through the process and you start to believe and get excited about the second round, for example.  And what happens if you don’t, if people start to panic, what happens?

The Draft is a starting point, it’s not the end-all, be-all, and it’s a crazy process. 

I hate to talk about him like this, but like I’ve known Shedeur Sanders for a long time. I played in the High School All-American Game coming out of high school and his Dad, Coach Prime, was my head coach. So Shedeur was always running around the fields with us when he was super young.

So I met him at that time and we knew each other throughout the whole process coming up, but like he was written or solidified as a “day one guy” for sure. Yeah. 

And then, all of a sudden, you fall to the fifth round or whatever he fell to …

And now that’s what the league thinks of you.

Yeah. That’s what the league thinks of you. The league is a brutal animal. 

Draft day, I would just enjoy it with your fam. First day, I forget what I was doing. I think I was playing golf with my agent or something. And we were hanging out second day. Third day comes around, we’re like, “Alright, let’s see.”

You have to try not to get your hopes and expectations up, especially if you’re seen as a late-round guy, There will be people that say, “Yeah, we have a high interest,” but you’re never really gonna know until it happens. 

All you need is an opportunity. I’ve done it multiple times. Just always bet on myself. That’s what it is. That’s what it always comes down to. 

Even when I went to Illinois, it was like, “You’re not gonna get handed this job.” There was a QB there whom I’ve personally known for 15 years, Art Sitkowski. And he was starting there, coming off an injury and they were like, “It’s gonna be an open competition.:

That’s all I need to know. That’s how I am, and I think that’s how everybody should be. All you need is an opportunity. It doesn’t matter what you were in the first round, sixth round, whatever it is, as long as you have that opportunity to go out and play and let everything else fall how it should.

The Patriots were one of those teams that really showed interest in you as an undrafted free agent. Eliot Wolf has clearly been a fan of yours since the draft, and then they end up claiming you. 

 I know you’re an unrestricted free agent after the season. Do you see yourself in New England long term?

I do, honestly. I had a conversation with Josh McDaniels the first day I got there, talked about what he envisioned for me this year and the growth that I was gonna make mentally, just learning more about defenses – not only about this offense, because like I said, this offense asked a lot.

It asked a lot more than I was asked to do in the past. And I think that it brings a new perspective to the position and the way that certain teams like to have it played like Josh does. So I’ve definitely learned a lot. Throughout my time here, a lot of Xs and Os, a lot about this offense and how certain pieces move compared to others. It’s a great tool to have in my toolbox.

The more experienced and different looks you see and different things you’re asked to do, the better, especially in all offenses. Because some offenses allow you to do certain things that others don’t. And my time here has been great. I got really close with a lot of the guys. I love the area. It’s not too far from my hometown in Jersey. 

I love the East Coast, that’s my jam. I’m a northeast guy, so yeah, we’ll see how it shakes out. Obviously, I love being here. This year has been remarkable to say the least. 

We have one more opportunity to put the cherry on top for it, but always good over here. 

So you’re part of Patriots Nation now, so I gotta ask you this. You probably heard about the Bill Belichick Hall of Fame snub. Any thoughts on that, just in terms of how that could possibly happen.

I’m not sure how all that voting works, but I’m gonna leave it at this. Six rings is six rings. The guy has won six rings as a head coach, eight total. 

I don’t know what else needs to be said for it or however all that works, but six rings is pretty good to me. 

You’re gonna be pretty excited to have one here, hopefully in a couple weeks.

That is the plan.