SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 In a Super Bowl serving as an introduction to a new wave of NFL stars, one quarterback already had his face on national commercials for Progressive and Pizza Hut.<\/p>\n
He won\u2019t take a snap in Super Bowl LX unless all goes haywire for the Patriots.<\/p>\n
Tommy DeVito Mania didn\u2019t claim the same foothold on the 2025 NFL season that it did the previous two seasons \u2014 when the hometown underdog was one of the few interesting things about the hopeless Giants \u2014 but it\u2019s been a welcome change out of the spotlight. <\/p>\n
Except for when Patriots teammates lovingly jab him over his funny commercial subbing in as the \u201cbackup\u201d for a non-smiling kid in a family photo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was cool and fun, but that\u2019s a Jersey, New York thing, if you will,\u201d DeVito said Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be tied to that. Mainly, because I\u2019m from there. That was one of the most special teams in my life \u2014 and I love it every time I go back \u2014 but this is a different version of myself, and I\u2019m happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tommy DeVito is pictured before the AFC Championship game Jan. 25. Getty Images<\/p>\n
DeVito\u2019s alter ego \u201cTommy Cutlets\u201d lived with his parents, snacked on chicken cutlets with vodka sauce and celebrated touchdowns by pinching his fingers together. <\/p>\n
He led the Giants to three straight wins as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and was given the first shot to replace the released Daniel Jones in 2024.<\/p>\n
Since getting claimed off waivers by the Patriots in August, however, DeVito has settled into life as a more typical third-string quarterback. <\/p>\n
He hasn\u2019t taken a snap behind Drake Maye and Josh Dobbs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looked at as Tommy DeVito the football player and not \u2018Tommy Cutlets,\u2019 the at-home Italian kid down the street,\u201d DeVito said. \u201cI think it was good for me. It was good for everything outside of me \u2014 family. It couldn\u2019t happen at a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeVito was the No. 3 quarterback in both his seasons with the Giants. <\/p>\n
He still made eight starts when he wasn\u2019t drawing hourslong autograph lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a competitor, you always want to play,\u201d DeVito said. \u201cBut my role each week, I am giving our defensive guys a look akin to no other. Trying to replicate, I\u2019m watching film on the [opposing] quarterbacks to give them the best possible advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tommy DeVito attempts a throw during the Giants\u2019 preseason game against the Jets in August 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post<\/p>\n
His goals this week? <\/p>\n
Replicate the Seahawks\u2019 Sam Darnold and make lasting memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to soak it all in,\u201d DeVito said. \u201cYou never know when it\u2019s going to be your last opportunity because everything has to fall right.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lesson he learned in hard times with the Giants.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdversity brings out the best in you,\u201d DeVito said. \u201cMy time in New York \u2026 was filled with ups and downs. That was so beneficial for my career because I\u2019ve seen a lot in a little time. The good, the bad and the ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tommy DeVito warms up before the Patriots\u2019 Nov. 9 game. Getty Images<\/p>\n
All the familiar rushed back to DeVito on Monday as he faced questions about ordering at Italian delis across North Jersey and was interviewed by someone wearing the fedora that became the trademark of his agent Sean Stellato.<\/p>\n
DeVito praised Italian food in Boston\u2019s \u201cNorth End\u201d but admitted bias.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing\u2019s quite like home,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mom is back home \u2014 and nothing is beating her food.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s Tommy Cutlets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 In a Super Bowl serving as an introduction to a new wave of NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":725695,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2067],"tags":[7,519,249,1917,56,2321,2469,6,9,505,41484,3349],"class_list":["post-725694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-giants","tag-football","tag-giants","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-giants","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkgiants","tag-nfl","tag-sports","tag-super-bowl","tag-super-bowl-2026","tag-tommy-devito"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116005488233074528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/725695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}