TD #16

Tommy DeVito

Quarterback · Illinois

The undrafted "Tommy Cheese" folk hero from New Jersey now backs up Drake Maye after his short-lived Giants stardom.

Tommy DeVito became a viral sensation during a four-start stretch as the Giants' emergency starter in 2023, embraced by his home-state fans for his Northern New Jersey persona as much as his play. He has since settled into a backup role, most recently on the Patriots depth chart behind Drake Maye.

★ Set Illinois single-season completion percentage record (69.6%) in 2022

★ Became a viral fan favorite during 2023 emergency-starter stretch with the Giants

Path to the league

DeVito spent five years at Syracuse, including a redshirt season, before transferring to Illinois for his final college year in 2022. He started all 13 games for the Illini, throwing for 2,650 yards and 15 touchdowns while setting a school record with a 69.6 percent completion rate. He went undrafted in 2023 and signed with the New York Giants.

Career highlights

DeVito's rookie stretch as an emergency starter in 2023 turned into a local sensation, with fans chanting his name and dubbing him 'Tommy Cheese.' Over two seasons with the Giants he completed 145 of 222 passes for 1,358 yards, 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions across 12 games with 8 starts. He signed with the New England Patriots in 2025.

2025 season recap

DeVito spent the entire 2025 season as New England's third-string quarterback behind starter Drake Maye and backup Joshua Dobbs, seeing no regular-season game action. Despite the lack of playing time, the Patriots re-signed him afterward on a two-year contract extension.