LANDOVER, Md. — During an offseason meetup between New York Giants quarterbacks and wide receivers in Charlotte, N.C., someone broke out a karaoke machine.
It wasn’t long before a self-assured undrafted rookie free-agent quarterback had grabbed the mic, threw on an A Boogie song and started rapping — nailing the verses word-for-word.
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“We’re like, ‘Woooah,'” wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson recalled. “He just went up there and killed it.”
By way of explanation, the Giants quarterback who rocked the mic simply said, “(I) like to rock out.”
That’s Tommy DeVito.
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DeVito’s never been short on confidence, which is one of the first things his teammates talk about when asked about him. A memorable karaoke performance was only the beginning of the New Jersey native’s growing popularity within the locker room. DeVito, 25, surely only added to that popularity by leading the Giants to a 31-19 victory over the Washington Commanders while throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
While he was far from perfect Sunday — the nine sacks he took were far too many — he was no doubt a huge reason the postgame locker room had cause for celebration for the first time in nearly a month.
“He comes in with the right mentality,” running back Saquon Barkley said after the Giants snapped their three-game losing streak Sunday. “He’s a confident dude from Jersey, so I’m excited and happy for that.”
Jersey juice 🧃
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 19, 2023
Amid a disappointing season for the Giants that’s been plagued by injuries to key players, including starting quarterback Daniel Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor, DeVito has emerged as a hometown hero and a fan-favorite story.
His Jersey swagger, coupled with endearing stories about living at home with his parents, has charmed the Giants locker room and the public at large during a year that many outside the Meadowlands are already looking to move past. The win Sunday brought the Giants to 3-8, and while the win hurt their chances at securing a top pick in next year’s draft, the victory was a much-needed morale boost for a team that seemed like it might be approaching a breaking point.
Turns out Tommy DeVito got the … Tommy DeVito special 🤣
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) November 17, 2023
The Giants rallied around DeVito, which is not a surprise to those who have played a part in the quarterback’s journey.
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After starring for hometown Don Bosco Preparatory High School, DeVito headed to Syracuse for five years before transferring to Illinois in 2021 to play for coach Bret Bielema.
In their first meeting, Bielema threw scenarios at DeVito, with the quarterback responding with quick and confident answers. That confidence never wavered throughout his season at Illinois, Bielma said. And it allowed him to be the type of leader the program needed him to be.
It was the small things DeVito did, Bielema said, that impressed him. The coach recalled that ahead of a road game, DeVito chose to sit with the Illini’s defensive linemen at one of the team’s informal dinners, where players could sit wherever they wanted. For the more formal meals, DeVito always sat with his receivers.
“I distinctly remember thinking to myself, here’s a guy who is making a cognizant effort to touch everyone in the program,” Bielema said of DeVito, who led the Illini to an 8-5 record while setting a program record with a 69.6 completion percentage. “I know everything Tommy did was diligent in his preparation to try and win a game, and that’s what I really admire.”
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Soon after his final college game, a loss to No. 22 Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl, DeVito drove down to Florida to start training with quarterbacks coach Tony Racioppi. The next day, DeVito signed on as one of six players Racioppi would train for the NFL Draft.
“That’s him,” Racioppi said. “He’s a worker.”
Saquon TD!
📺: FOX
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 19, 2023
Throughout the draft process and even after he didn’t get an invite to the combine, Racioppi said DeVito didn’t waver in his belief in himself. DeVito went undrafted but after getting multiple offers, according to Racioppi, DeVito settled on the Giants.
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After a decent showing in the preseason, DeVito signed to the Giants practice squad following training camp. He likely would have remained there throughout the season, too, had injuries not significantly altered the Giants’ fate. After Jones exited in Week 5 with a neck injury, the Giants signed DeVito to the active roster for the next three weeks to serve as Taylor’s backup.
And after Taylor went to the hospital with a rib injury in Week 8’s loss to the New York Jets, DeVito replaced him for his first NFL snaps. It was a challenging debut, as the Giants opted not to let DeVito throw much on a rainy day and up against a stellar defense. The Giants ended up losing 13-10 in overtime.
Jones returned the following week in Las Vegas but tore his ACL in the first half, leaving DeVito to enter in relief for a second straight game. The Giants lost 30-6 to the Raiders, but DeVito looked better in completing 15-of-20 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
“He’s 100 percent confident in himself, which is gonna be important for him at this stage because in his position with his lack of reps and kind of where he was on the depth chart obviously up until recently (after the Raiders game), you’re learning the playbook. You don’t have much time with the ones and twos from a receiver standpoint,” Racioppi said. “From a timing standpoint, you haven’t really thrown balls to those guys a ton. And the last thing when you’re not playing a lot is your pocket presence. The intensity of the pocket, it cranks up obviously on Sundays. So I think for him, he’s got the right mentality.”
DeVito didn’t get first-team reps until the week of his first start. That meant his week leading into the Dallas Cowboys game in Week 10 involved a lot of extra meeting time and a lot of extra time watching tape. Despite the shift into the starting role, Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney said DeVito hasn’t changed much — never overconfident but authentic to himself.
“No matter what position you’re playing, I think it’s important, but obviously because everybody kind of looks to the quarterback on every play, he’s the one speaking in the huddle and all that, you got to have it,” Tierney said. “And Tommy definitely does, which is a good thing for him.”
Before his first start, DeVito picked Jones and Taylor’s brains on how they mentally approached the game. They told him to just be himself.
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“I have a life rule. It’s Rule No. 1: Don’t panic,” DeVito said ahead of the Cowboys game. “That is the thing I’ve always leaned on. It’s a game. It’s football. Yeah, there is a lot on the line, but at the end of the day, you play this game because you love it. And I do love this game. I’m just going to go out there and enjoy myself.”
The Dallas game didn’t go the way anyone rooting for the Giants wanted, but coach Brian Daboll stuck with DeVito for Sunday’s game against Washington, giving the quarterback another week to get more comfortable and adjust to the role of starter.
Daboll’s faith was rewarded as DeVito made enough big plays, despite the nine sacks, to lead the Giants to a victory.
“He’s a tough-minded guy,” Daboll said. “Instinctive. … Even like that first third down where he threw to (Darius) Slayton, if you go back, he just gave a little pump fake to open up the window.”
Tommy DeVito is SLINGING IT.
📺: #NYGvsWAS on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023
The growing pains of an undrafted rookie quarterback taking the reins midway through the season have been evident, but DeVito has embraced the opportunity to improve and to lead. With Taylor still on injured reserve, DeVito’s got the chance to start at least one more game.
But before he starts preparing for the New England Patriots next Sunday, he’s surely going to take a moment to enjoy the fruits of his labor paying off with the first win of his NFL career.
After Giants linebacker Isaiah Simmons intercepted Commanders quarterback Sam Howell late in Sunday’s fourth quarter to seal the victory, DeVito threw his hands up in elation with a big smile on his face. He savored the time on the field in the postgame handshakes, sharing hugs and then walking by fans as he finally headed to the tunnel.
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There wasn’t any A Boogie blasting in the locker room after Sunday’s win, but Wan’Dale Robinson thinks he’ll hear DeVito’s go-to karaoke artist soon.
“I’m sure it’ll be cranking on Monday from the practice fields,” he said with a smile.
(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
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