Former New York Giants quarterback and fan favorite Tommy DeVito was pressed into action overseas on Sunday morning when New England Patriots quarterback and NFL MVP runner-up Drake Maye was injured in the first quarter of a Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany.
Maye hurt his ankle on a sack by Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and was quickly listed as questionable with an ankle injury — the same play that injured Hutchinson’s knee while he was celebrating the sack and forced him out of the game.
DeVito — better known as “Tommy Cutlets” — played for the Giants in 2023 and 2024, and the New Jersey native quickly became a cult hero for Giants fans. He’s in his second season as Maye’s backup with the Patriots.
“Drake Maye headed to the locker room after the Patriots first drive with an ankle injury, the team announced,” Yahoo Sports wrote on its official X account. “Backup QB Tommy DeVito is now in the game for New England.”
“Tommy DeVito — Tommy Cutlets — will try to be Tommy Schnitzel here,” Fox Sports play-by-play analyst Joe Davis said during the broadcast.
“No injury announcement yet from the Patriots, but Tommy DeVito is in the game and Drake Maye is back in the locker room,” The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin wrote on X. “Yikes.”
Tommy DeVito Shot to Fame After Jones Injury
One of the oddities of the 2023 NFL season was the rise of DeVito, an undrafted free agent who went 3-3 as the Giants starter after Daniel Jones tore his ACL and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor went down with an injury shortly after.
DeVito, nicknamed “Tommy Cutlets” for his affinity for his mother’s chicken cutlets, got another chance to start late in the 2024 season but with much less success, going 0-2. The decision to start DeVito in 2024 wasn’t without controversy, as the Giants passed over backup quarterback Drew Lock to start DeVito in a move many thought was meant to ensure the Giants had less of a chance at winning so they wouldn’t risk their spot in the 2025 NFL Draft — and to not trigger an injury guarantee for starter Daniel Jones, who was released shortly after.
“Though the Giants’ record and Jones’ play were key factors in the move, ownership and general manager Joe Schoen also had to consider that there is a $23 million injury guarantee in his contract for 2025 that becomes fully guaranteed if he gets injured and is unable to pass a physical in the offseason,” ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan wrote in November 2024. “The Giants are not the first team to sit a quarterback to protect themselves against a substantial injury guarantee. Last year alone, the Denver Broncos did the same with Russell Wilson ($37 million) and the Las Vegas Raiders with Jimmy Garoppolo ($11.25 million).”
Ex-Giants Fan Favorite QB Playing for Pats After Drake Maye Injury