Tommy Cutlets is no more — and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is to blame

Watch out 2 Chainz, you have competition.

Once known as “Tommy Cutlets” when he played in the Meadowlands, backup quarterback Tommy DeVito has now become “Two Chains” — different than the rapper — now that he’s with the Patriots.

“’Two Chains’ is doing a nice job,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday. “He, I think, continues to learn and with it being a new system, I think it got his attention a little bit better, as opposed to saying, ‘Hey, I know what this is,’ and kind of taking it for granted. I think he’s really done a nice job.”

New England Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito speaks to the media after practice during training camp at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DeVito, a New Jersey native, became somewhat of a cult hero among Giants fan during a six-game stretch as the team’s starter in 2024.

He became known as “Tommy Cutlets” due to the fact that he lived at home with his parents in New Jersey and his mother, Lexi, would make him chicken cutlets.

DeVito, 28, also leaned strongly into his Italian heritage, including his celebratory hand gesture.

That name followed him to New England after the Giants released him ahead of the 2025 season before Vrabel apparently switched things up within his first two weeks in Foxborough.

“Originally, he was calling me ‘Cutlets,’” DeVito said Tuesday. “And then he saw me wearing two gold chains that I always have on, I never take them off, and that turned into ‘Two Chains.’

“That’s how it is throughout the building now.”


New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answers questions.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answers questions prior to an NFL football training camp with the Indianapolis Colts, Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Equipped with a new nickname — although he said “Cutlets” will always stick with him — DeVito appears to be enjoying his time in the northeast even if he’s yet to play a snap for the team.

DeVito did not play last season during the team’s run to the Super Bowl while serving as the third-stringer behind Drake Maye and backup Joshua Dobbs.

He’s slated to be the backup this year with Dobbs no longer with the team, and feels much more comfortable entering his second season with the AFC East squad.

“It’s a different world,” DeVito said of his comfort level compared to his first year. “It’s one thing to be in the classroom and be in it and learneverything, but it’s another thing to get reps in it. Last year, I didn’t get any reps in the offense. My first rep was during OTAs.”

DeVito appreciates the offensive system New England operates.

“The way that this offense is run, it gives the quarterback all the reins,” he said. ” You make all the decisions, whether you want to get in and out of a play, whatever you want to do. Everything flows through the quarterback. For the coaches to have that kind of trust in you, it’s awesome.

“To grow from where I was in OTAs to where I am now, it’s a tremendous amount of growth and that’s a testament to the coaches, the players around me pushing me and ultimately getting reps in it.

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