There's not much cause for celebration with the New York Giants. If there's no win on the scoreboard, the least newly-anointed starting quarterback Tommy DeVito can do is bring the memes. The second-year quarterback out of Syracuse said he wasn't going to do the “pinched fingers” celebration. However, DeVito said he was going to bring it back now that he's the starter, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN NFL Nation.
DeVito started six games in 2023 for the Giants, posting a 3-3 record. He passed for 1,101 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 195 yards and a score.
Given the nickname “Tommy Cutlets” because of his Italian heritage and because he mentioned one of his favorite foods being his mother's chicken cutlets.
Giants evaluating what they have in Tommy DeVito
Before spending a big draft pick on first-round quarterback, it makes sense for New York to take another look at DeVito. Think of the advantage gained by the San Francisco 49ers by having such a cheap quarterback in Brock Purdy. The Giants could gain a similar advantage should they pivot to DeVito. Granted, he will be a free agent next year, but he'd still make next to nothing in terms of a quarterback's salary if given a contract this offseason.
The Giants will be taking on $22.2M in dead cap in 2025 from their release of Daniel Jones. Their $27.3M total dead cap next year is the seventh-most in the NFL.
As one should expect, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith teed off on how poorly-run the Giants are in the wake of their release of Jones.
“This is a performance-based business,” Smith said on Friday. “Nobody's talking about your personal life, nobody's getting into anything. Your performance was put on public display and you were 20 games under .500. You have been abhorrent, you have been awful, as the quarterback of the New York Giants. On top of it, they let go of Saquon Barkley to make sure they took care of you.
“The only reason why you get away with it is because the Jets have been worse. They haven't made the playoffs since 2010.”
There's a more human side to football and that was brought out by Giants' star Dexter Lawrence, who delivered a lighter touch in response to Jones' benching.
“That’s my best friend,” Lawrence said. “It’s tough for that to happen. I can’t control it. They made the decision based off their evaluations and their thoughts and feelings. … That’s my boy. As a player, you got to keep playing. As a human and as a brother, I feel for him.
“(Brian Daboll) just said it was a hard decision,” Lawrence added. “I’m sure it’s hard. He’s the QB1. To me, the best quarterback on the team. But they see things differently. I guess that’s all that matters. Teams lose games, not just one player, and I think that should be understood.”
The Giants host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, November 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
