Even though Tommy DeVito spent the entirety of 2025 as the New England Patriots’ third-string quarterback, the team saw enough of him to bump him up the depth chart this offseason. He was extended on a two-year, $4.4 million deal, while the team’s previous QB2, Joshua Dobbs, was released.
This plus the fact that only one other quarterback currently is signed by the club — seventh-round rookie Behren Morton — means that DeVito is the odds-on favorite to back up Drake Maye in 2026. Let’s take a closer look at him and his projected role on the team.
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Hard facts
Name: Tommy DeVito
Position: Quarterback
Jersey number: 16
Opening day age: 28 (8/7/1998)
Measurements: 6’2”, 210 lbs, 29 7/8” arm length, 10 1/8” hand size, 4.59s 40-yard dash, 4.34s short shuttle, 33” vertical jump, 9’6” broad jump, 7.89 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New York Giants (2023-24), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Syracuse (2017-21), Illinois (2022)
Rated as either a three- or four-star recruit coming out of Don Bosco Preparatory in Ramsey, NJ, DeVito opted to take his talents to Syracuse. Despite spending five seasons with the Orange, however, he only started 18 games before entering the transfer portal midway through his 2021 redshirt campaign campaign. He moved to Illinois for his final year of eligibility and went on to have the most productive season of his career.
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Starting all 13 games he appeared in during the 2022 season, DeVito completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,650 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He did attempt to stay in school for another year, but the NCAA denied his request. As a result, he headed to the NFL.
DeVito went undrafted in 2023, and subsequently joined the Giants as a free agent. He opened his rookie season on the practice squad but still ended up starting six games (including a 10-7 win over the Patriots that indirectly helped New England land Drake Maye in the following year’s draft). Despite the Giants going 3-3 with him at the helm and DeVito becoming a fan favorite, he spent most of 2024 in a backup role and started only two more games.
When he was waived by the Giants ahead of the 2025 roster cutdown deadline, he had appeared in a combined 12 games with eight starts, completing 145 of 222 passes (65.3%) for 1,358 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. DeVito subsequently joined the Patriots in a backup role, and was retained as a restricted free agent after the season.
Scouting report
Strengths: DeVito has the size you are looking for in an NFL quarterback and also provides some solid baseline athleticism. His arm is decent in the short and intermediate range and he has a compact and repeatable release while lining up his lower and upper body to generate good torque to push the ball downfield. He has also shown some advanced footwork in the pocket as well as the ability to evade pressure or create second opportunities for himself, as well as the confidence to make decisive and quick decisions. In general, DeVito is a tough cookie at the quarterback position who has earned praise for his work behind the scenes and command when inserted into the lineup.
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Weaknesses: DeVito has an NFL-caliber arm in some aspects but lacks the high-end traits that differentiate the backups from the starters. He is a willing but ultimately uneven vertical passer, something that is also true for passes into tight windows; his zip and ball placement do not significantly improve the odds on low-percentage throws, and his accuracy drops of more than you would want the deeper you go downfield; driving the ball is not a strength of his. Some of his decisions, however, do not always reflect his limitations. Overall, there have been flashes of starter-caliber play, but sustaining those has proven to be a problem three years into his career.
2025 review
Stats: N/A
Season recap: After finding partial success during his first two seasons in the NFL, DeVito entered 2025 as part of a rebuilt Giants quarterback group. The team had drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round and also acquired veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in the offseason, putting him in a fight for his roster life.
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It was not one he would win. Despite going 30-for-38 (78.9%) for 323 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in his 55 preseason snaps, the Giants opted to release him in late August in favor of the Dart, Wilson and Winston combo at quarterback. While he appeared to be a candidate to be re-signed to New York’s practice squad, he did not make it that far: the Patriots, owning fourth priority on the waiver claim order, picked him up one day after he got cut.
In New England, DeVito joined a rigid quarterback depth chart. Drake Maye was the clear-cut No. 1, with veteran Joshua Dobbs having spent all of the offseason and training camp as his backup. As a consequence, the latest addition to the group ended up slotting into the No. 3 role.
As such, DeVito was made inactive each game of the season. He therefore ended 2025 with zero snaps between the regular season and playoffs, his first time ever going snap-less throughout an NFL season.
2026 preview
Position: Second-string quarterback | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2027 (2028 UFA)
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What will be his role? After spending 2025 as a third-string/emergency option at quarterback, DeVito is slated to spend 2026 as the Patriots’ No. 2 behind Drake Maye. As such, his value lies primarily in supporting Maye and helping him prepare during the week; the same is true for his role as a practice arm. As for his in-game contributions, the best case from a team perspective would be for him to not play any meaningful snaps whatsoever.
What is his growth potential? DeVito burst onto the scene as a rookie but since then has not taken any significant steps forward, culminating in the Giants releasing him and the Patriots picking him up as a waiver claim. That change of scenery might allow him to develop on a different trajectory, but his ceiling overall still seems limited to being a backup with some spot-starter experience.
Does he have positional versatility? DeVito is a solid athlete but not really what you would describe as a dual-threat quarterback. From that perspective, his versatility is limited. Of course, versatility is not what teams are primarily looking for in their quarterbacks; as long as he can adequately fill his role on the roster, he is A-OK.
What is his salary cap situation? A restricted free agent this offseason, DeVito was not tendered by the Patriots but rather kept via the aforementioned two-year contract worth $4.4 million. The 2026 version of that deal comes with a $1.55 million salary cap hit that includes a $1.15 million base salary and $325,000 signing bonus proration, both of which are fully guaranteed. In addition, there are roster ($425,000) and workout bonuses ($75,000) and $1.5 million in incentives. Out of those up to $2 million, only the workout bonus is classified as likely to be earned and therefore part of New England’s current cap.
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How safe is his roster spot? While backup quarterbacks oftentimes look like a fungible commodity, DeVito very much looks like a safe bet to make the Patriots’ roster this season. Not only would releasing him bring no real financial benefits, it also would rob the team of its only experienced backup QB on; until seventh-round rookie Behren Morton can step up, the QB2 spot is DeVito’s to lose — and he seems poised not to lose it this year.
Summary: As far as backup quarterbacks are concerned, DeVito is a pretty big name. Obviously, that is not why the Patriots decided to bring him in last year, though; they rather saw something in him worth further developing. The 27-year-old will likely only get limited chances to show his progress, but that is the life of an NFL backup quarterback — something the Patriots are hoping for won’t change in 2026.
What do you think about Tommy DeVito heading into the 2026 season? Is his roster spot as secure as it looks? Will he play any meaningful snaps? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.