Everybody in Foxborough wanted a New York slice, and the feeling was mutual.
Tommy DeVito was introduced at the Patriots’ facility on Thursday to a throng of media waiting to hear from the former Giants quarterback a day after the cult favorite was picked up off waivers.
“I came from a really great organization with the Giants,” he told reporters. “Obviously, know the history of the Giants and the Patriots. Just those two organizations as a whole are superior to the rest, if you will. So, the Patriots, shoot, Super Bowls, Tom Brady. For me, I want to be able to experience it, embrace it, and really live it and be here.”
The man known affectionately in the Tri-State area as “Tommy Cutlets” endeared himself to Giants fans during a six-game stint in the 2023 season, in which he led the injury-marred team to a 3-3 record.
That included guiding Big Blue to a 10-7 win over New England in Week 12, the second of three straight victories as a bright spot in an otherwise dreadful season. He and his agent, Sean Stellato, became instant celebrities for their Italian heritage-based celebrations.
The 27-year-old gave the Patriots a reminder of his capabilities in their preseason matchup last week, completing 17 of 20 pass attempts for 198 and three touchdowns against New England’s second-team defense.
It wasn’t enough to push him up an overhauled Giants depth chart of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart.
Landing in New England — and now behind the likes of Drake Maye and Josh Hobbs — is a pretty good spot for DeVito, in his mind.
“I had a feeling, I was hoping,” he said. “Every time you go on the field, you perform for 31 others. Especially when you have some feelings about something, so that last one was, ‘Listen, everything is an audition, but this one is a personal audition. So, I want to make it count.’ We did, and here we are.’
“It was something I had a feeling was going to happen, something I was hoping was going to happen, especially with where they were ranked in the claims order,” he added. “I was very excited to get here. I’ve had a lot of prior coaches who have been part of this organization before, know a lot of coaches and people in the business, so I had a lot of good insight.”
One big difference for the man who famously lived at home with his parents while rising to Big Blue fame?
“No, my mother will not be coming to live with me,” he said, “so I’ll be alone once again.”
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