The New England Patriots took one step forward and one giant step back on Friday. One move exposed what the franchise desperately needs but still cannot have. The other at least confirmed that the organization is keeping the depth intact behind their franchise quarterback, Drake Maye.

“New England reached agreement today with QB Tommy DeVito on a two-year, $7.4 million deal that includes $2 million guaranteed, per his agent @seanstellatoses,” ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on March 6.

Tommy DeVito had been claimed off waivers in August last season from the Giants and was set to become a restricted free agent heading into 2026. His prior deal was a one-year, $1.03 million contract with the Giants. The arrangement didn’t offer any long-term security for the quarterback, which now changes following the Patriots’ decision. 

The team signed the 27-year-old to a two-year deal worth $7.4 million. He has $2 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $3.7 million, per Spotrac. DeVito spent the entire last season as the third-string quarterback on the depth chart. He sat behind Maye and Joshua Dobbs, and never saw a single snap of regular-season action. 

With the Giants, DeVito played in 12 games and made eight starts, finishing with a 3-5 record. He completed 145 passes for 1,358 yards, threw eight touchdowns, and was sacked 43 times across his career with Big Blue. But his value goes beyond what he brings in terms of stats to New England. 

For the franchise, this is not about the money or the stats DeVito brings to the room. It is about the stability the Patriots are trying to protect after coming off a remarkable season. New England made a run to the Super Bowl with Maye under center, only to fall short against the Seahawks in the big game. Keeping the quarterback room settled is part of how head coach Mike Vrabel keeps that momentum going.

For DeVito, the deal gives him two years of certainty, something he hasn’t had since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2023. But as this move solidifies the quarterback room, another move is about to leave the wide receiver depth chart dangerously thin.​

The Patriots wanted AJ Brown to fix what Drake Maye just lost

According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the Patriots are moving on from Stefon Diggs. The team will release him on March 11, the start of the new league year.

Diggs arrived in New England last offseason on a three-year, $63.5 million deal. But his 2026 base salary was ballooning to $22.6 million. It carried a cap hit of $26.5 million, a number the Patriots were no longer willing to absorb.

His pre-June 1 release gives the Pats $16.8 million in cap savings while leaving $9.7 million in dead cap on the books. But the numbers that matter most go beyond the cap sheet. 

Diggs finished the season as Drake Maye’s top target. He hauled in 85 catches on 102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. Losing him tears a real hole in this offense, which is exactly why the Patriots turned their attention to Eagles’ AJ Brown. Philly, however, said no.

“The #Patriots are said to have offered a 1st and 3rd-round pick in exchange for WR AJ Brown, but the Eagles declined, per @AnthonyLGargano,” Carlos A. Lopez pointed out on X.

The rejection was not entirely surprising. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is “holding firm” and looking for a “Quinnen Williams-like” deal for Brown, per NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo. 

That means a first-round pick, a second-round sweetener, and potentially a player. It’s the same structure the Cowboys surrendered to land Quinnen Williams from the Jets at last year’s trade deadline.

Roseman does not feel pressured to move Brown, and if Philly does not get that kind of return, Brown could simply return to the Eagles for another season.

A key factor in the Patriots’ interest is Brown’s prior relationship with head coach Mike Vrabel. The two were together in Tennessee from 2019 (when Brown was drafted in the second round) through the 2021 season, before he was traded to Philadelphia. ​