Tommy DeVito #16 of the New England Patriots
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Arguably the biggest reason why the New England Patriots are suddenly back in the Super Bowl is thanks to the arrival of Drake Maye. The franchise selected the UNC quarterback with the third overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft, and his Year 2 leap into being an MVP candidate in 2025 has thrust New England into immediate title contention. And none of this may have been possible without Maye's current teammate and fellow Patriots signal-caller Tommy DeVito.  

"Oh, I've told him," DeVito told CBS Sports during Super Bowl Opening Night, acknowledging his understated role in New England ultimately landing Maye back in 2024. 

To fully understand DeVito's part in this story that has New England playing for another Lombardi Trophy, you need to go back to the 2023 campaign. Both the Patriots and Giants ended up being among the worst teams in the NFL that year, with New England finishing 4-13 and New York saddled with a 6-11 record. However, thanks to DeVito bursting onto the scene as a rookie and leading the Giants to a 3-3 record over his six starts, it helped change the fortunes of both franchises. 

In fact, DeVito beat New England in a head-to-head matchup in Week 12 of that season. 

Had DeVito simply not led the Giants to a victory in that matchup, both teams would've finished 5-12, and New York would've leapfrogged the Patriots for a higher draft pick, possibly with the chance to select Maye for themselves. And DeVito made sure to remind him of that not long after he arrived at the Patriots after being claimed off waivers in late August. 

"It was probably like my second day there," he said of his initial conversation with Maye about how he impacted his draft destination. "I was like, 'Just so you know, you could have been in New York.'"

2024 NFL Draft Round 1 order, selections

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
7. Tennessee Titans: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
8. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
9. Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
10. Minnesota Vikings: J.J .McCarthy, QB, Michigan
11. New York Jets: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
15. Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy, DL, Texas
17. Vikings: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, DE, Florida State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
21. Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, DE, Penn State
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
24. Detroit Lions: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
25. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, IOL, Duke
27. Cardinals: Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
29. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
30. Baltimore Ravens: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
31. San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
32. Carolina Panthers: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

What might have been

It's fair to wonder how different both teams might have looked had DeVito not pulled off the win over New England in 2023. Do the Patriots stay in the basement of the AFC for a while longer? Is it a Drake Maye-led Giants team descending onto Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX? Is Brian Daboll still the head coach of New York? One thing that would've remained the same regardless, according to DeVito, was Maye eventually becoming the MVP-caliber QB he is today.

"Yeah, definitely," DeVito said when asked if Maye would've worked wherever he landed. "He has a really strong arm, very cerebral, athletic enough to move around in the pocket and extend plays and do whatever it is he needs to do. But I think that this mesh with Josh [McDaniels] is special." 

After leading the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt during the regular season, Maye is now looking to become the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl.