To follow up yesterday's write up about Welker's departure from New England, here is a look at Danny Amendola's. If you are wondering how Amendola made the list of nominees, consider that I posed the question across several social media accounts. I do recall Amendola being pretty popular among the members of a Patriots fan page on Facebook and not my actual readers/followers. Regardless, if a player has the same amount of nominations as Ty Law, I have to take a dive into the situation.
UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS- A few hours after Wes Welker signed a 2 year $12 million contract with the Broncos, the Patriots announced the signing of Danny Amendola. Amendola's initial contract was a 5 year deal worth $28.5 million. According tothis article from Tom E. Curran, the Amendola signing actually occurred a day before the Welker signing. Regardless of which happened first and what Belichick's plan was, in the hearts of Patriots' fans, Amendola was Welker's replacement.
DANNY "PLAYOFF" AMENDOLA- Amendola didn't really end up replacing Welker as Julian Edelman stepped into the slot role. Nevertheless, he still made some plays during his 5 year tenure with the team. Since many of those plays occurred during the playoffs and the good looking receiver has the nickname Danny "Playoff" Amendola, it's no wonder he is missed by the fans. The fact that he also restructured his contract 3 times while with the team is another reason for the love.
In Danny's last season with the team, his playoff contributions were remarkable.
In Danny's last season with the team, his playoff contributions were remarkable.
- 26 receptions on 33 targets (78.8%)
- 13.4 yards per reception
- 2 touchdowns
- 18 first downs
PRICE TAG- After many restructures, Amendola was in the last year of his contract when his buddy Jules went down with a knee injury. With Edelman out, Dola had a lot more opportunities. By capitalizing on those opportunities, his price tag went up significantly. The 32 year old ended up signing a two year deal with Miami. It was worth $12 million, $8.25 million which was guaranteed.
VERDICT- A contract of that size, for that player, at that point in his career is not a case of Belichick letting a guy go. It's the case of another team overpaying to get someone who played for the Patriots.
VERDICT- A contract of that size, for that player, at that point in his career is not a case of Belichick letting a guy go. It's the case of another team overpaying to get someone who played for the Patriots.
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