Patriots Reportedly Considered Signing Giants QB Before Season

Before he became the starting quarterback for his hometown New York Giants, Tommy DeVito reportedly garnered preseason interest from the New England Patriots.

Ahead of Sunday’s Patriots-Giants game at MetLife Stadium, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported New England “inquired” about possibly signing DeVito to its practice squad after New York released the rookie QB during final roster cuts.

The Patriots had a prior connection to DeVito, having coached the Illinois product at the East-West Shrine Bowl. His college head coach, Bret Bielema, also is a former New England assistant.

The Patriots’ reported interest in DeVito came during a period of upheaval for their quarterback room. Around the same time, New England cut both Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham, re-signed both to their practice squad and claimed Matt Corral off waivers from Carolina.

That position group was in the spotlight again this week, with Bill Belichick refusing to announce a starter for the team’s Week 12 matchup. That question remained unanswered until late Saturday night when the Boston Herald reported Mac Jones would get the nod over Zappe.

As for DeVito, he ultimately chose to join the Giants’ practice squad, then eventually climbed to the top of the depth chart following injuries to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. The New Jersey native is set to make his third career start Sunday against Belichick’s club.