Judging from his actions during the past two offseasons, Danny Amendola would prefer to remain in New England and catch passes from Tom Brady than make more money in another location. For the second straight year, Amendola has reportedly restructured his contract.
Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo first reported Amendola's new contract, providing the financial details of the new deal:
Danny Amendola restructured contract to stay w/ Patriots, source says. Two years, $7.35m with $750k more in roster bonuses/catch incentives.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 6, 2016
Amendola was previously scheduled to count $6.8 million against the cap in 2016, per ESPN.
"It's an honor to play for this franchise and with this group of guys," Amendola told Garafolo in a statement. "We have one goal -- to win another championship and that's all we care about."
While the Patriots didn't outright confirm the news, they did write an article about Garofalo's report on their own website, which is either their way of confirming it or they're really doing their best to mislead us. Never rule out anything when it comes to Bill Belichick.
In all seriousness, retaining Amendola at their price is a big-time move for the Patriots. Amendola proved to be especially valuable last season when Julian Edelman missed a chunk of games. In 14 games, Amendola brought down 65 passes for 648 yards and three touchdowns.
He might not be Brady's top option, but he's a dependable third or fourth target behind Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, and a solid returner. With the addition of Martellus Bennett, who gives the team a scary tight end combination, the Patriots shouldn't see a decline in their offensive production -- well, after Brady is done serving his Deflategate suspension.
