- - Patriots’ Tommy DeVito Reveals How Ann Michael Maye’s ‘Really Good’ Baking Is Strategic for the Team (Exclusive)

Skyler CarusoFebruary 1, 2026 at 6:30 PM

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Tommy DeVito and Ann Michael Maye.

Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty; Ann Michael Maye/Instagram

Tommy DeVito explains to PEOPLE how there's a strategy behind Ann Michael Maye's baking for the New England Patriots, ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl

The backup quarterback shared how they use the treats she gives to her husband, Drake Maye, to their advantage

DeVito also spoke about his team up with Progressive and the brand's new "Backup" campaign

The New England Patriots are fueling up for their big Super Bowl return!

Backup quarterback Tommy DeVito gave PEOPLE a glimpse inside the locker room, where the highly-talked about treats baked by Drake Maye's wife, Ann Michael, are a fun part of their game plan.

While Ann Michael's baked goods have gone plenty viral online, DeVito hinted at a more strategic reason as to why Ann Michael sends her starting quarterback husband into work with homemade desserts.

Tommy DeVito of the New England Patriots.

Michael Owens/Getty

"She'll always send in Drake into the building with stuff. So when we're in the [offensive linemen's] room, we'll dabble a little bit," DeVito, 27, tells PEOPLE exclusively while talking about his "Backup" campaign with Progressive.

But why doesn't the star quarterback's wife bake for the quarterback room, you may ask? That's where the strategy lies.

"I think we're trying to stay cleaner on our diet," DeVito explains. "The O-Line are the ones that are making sure that everybody in that room stays upright, so I don't blame her for that!" he adds of the bulked-up offensive line whose job it is to protect the quarterbacks.

Drake Maye and his wife Ann Michael (left) and Hunter Henry and his wife Parker Henry (right) after winning the 2026 AFC Championships.

Kara Durrette/Getty

Ann Michael has been winning over fans all season long with her kind personality and talent for making baked goods. She launched her now-viral show, Beyond Bakemas, where she bakes her best recipes on TikTok.

And for DeVito and his fellow QBs, those treats are hard to resist.

"I'm sort of a cookie fanatic, so that's the baking that she does," he tells PEOPLE of Ann Michael. "She also does ... I think it's banana bread or some kind of bread like that, whatever it is, but everything has been really good that we've had."

Tommy DeVito and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.

Patrick Smith/Getty

"Me personally, [my favorite] is a chocolate chip cookie," he continues. "Plain, straight up. I don't know if that's how she does her regular cookies, but she did put some sea salt on it… so it was good for me!"

While Ann Michael has the stomachs of the Patriots covered, DeVito's got the backs of QB1 Drake and QB2 as the team's third-string quarterback — one who knows what it's like to step up (and win) when needed, like he famously did as a New York Giants QB in 2023.

That's why DeVito — who topped headlines for his Cinderella Story that saw him go from an undrafted QB3 to the starting role with three back-to-back wins his rookie year — has been tapped by Progressive for its new "Backup" campaign, where he proves to be the ultimate backup for one unlucky fan.

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DeVito swooped in to help a fantasy football loser through a brutal fantasy football punishment of running a lemonade stand in the middle of a Boston winter, the day after the Patriots were named 2026 AFC Champions (and as parts of the East Coast got hit with record-breaking snowfall.)

"I think it was like, 5-degree weather," recalls DeVito of his experience in Foxborough. "We did the lemonade stand, which was a ton of fun. It was very cold though... I was spinning $1 lemonade signs... People were looking at us crazy."

He adds, "It was the whole experience."

Tommy DeVito partners with Progressive for the brand's "Backup" campaign.

MOVI Inc.

Now, DeVito is narrowing his focus on quite literally the biggest game of his professional career — also the biggest game in professional football, the Super Bowl.

"We truly believe that we are going to go in and win every game, and to see how the team stuck together was important," he says of the Patriots successes over the course of the season, adding, "I think we're peaking at the right time."

DeVito and the Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks at the 2026 Super Bowl in San Francisco on Sunday, Feb. 8.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”