Throughout the years, the New York Giants have tapped into the Illinois football pipeline at key positions.
Just off the top of my head, some of the big Giants players the Illini have produced included Steve Weatherford and David Diehl. One of the most recent Giants players who came through the Illinois pipeline is Tommy DeVito.
DeVito went undrafted but landed with New York two offseasons ago. He ended up with the Giants franchise and got to suit up in nine games and started six contests for New York in 2023.
After some massive struggles from starter Daniel Jones, it was announced on Monday that the Giants will be benching Jones and will be going with DeVito behind center.
Coach Daboll: We are making a quarterback switch from Daniel Jones to Tommy DeVito. After evaluating and watching a lot of tape, that's the reason we are going with Tommy. Drew Lock will be the backup. This was a necessary move for us and I'm looking forward to working with Tommy… pic.twitter.com/OTPmSCIq0P
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 18, 2024
The move away from Jones isn’t a surprise and it is likely he is done with the franchise moving forward. New York is 2-8 this season, and Jones has thrown for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
It is also not surprising that the Giants are going back to DeVito at quarterback. This is a smart move for the franchise on and off the field.
Former Illinois football quarterback Tommy DeVito has been a great deal for the New York Giants
The Giants were obviously hesitant to go away from Jones. He was a first-round pick in 2019, and he has shown some sparks.
As a rookie, Jones threw for 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He had a decent season of 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2022. Besides for those two years, Jones has been below average, which includes the last two seasons of 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
On top of Jones’ struggles, the Giants just locked him up for four more years. He signed a four-year extension worth $160 million before last season. If New York does cut him with two years remaining, he accounts for $22 million in dead money.
DeVito gives the Giants some relief both on and off the field. On the field, he has been a much better quarterback than Jones. DeVito started in six games last season and threw for 1,101 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The passing stats are better for DeVito and so are the intangibles; winning. DeVito started in six games and had a record of 3-3. Over the past two seasons, Jones started in 16 games and has a record of 3-13. Winning matters.
And then you look at the cost of each player. The Giants take a huge cap hit with Jones at quarterback, so they need a way to win games and at a low cost. DeVito provides that discount, as he is under contract with the Giants for three years, $2.705 million. DeVito’s three-year contract total is less than what Jones makes in a month.
The franchise that has dumped money into Jones and let running back Saquon Barkley go in free agency has finally made a good decision. Whether this is a long-term solution doesn’t matter. Tommy Cutlets is back under center.