New England Patriots: Danny Amendola explains reason for leaving
Wide receiver Danny Amendola shared why he left the New England Patriots in free agency this offseason.
The New England Patriots lost a number of key players from their 2017 team to free agency in March. One of the players who departed was wide receiver, Danny Amendola.
Amendola decided to leave New England and sign with their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, as a free agent. Amendola was hopeful that he would remain in New England, but it just wasn’t in the cards. The writing was on the wall when it was revealed that Amendola had a favorable market.
The Patriots set a price and won’t go above it to sign free agents. They work under the mantra that they will let you walk a year early instead of holding onto you a year too long. That is partly why Nate Solder is now with the New York Giants.
Solder signed a contract that made him the richest lineman in NFL history. While he plays an important position at left tackle, that was never a price New England was going to pay. No one can blame a player for maximizing their earnings in free agency. New England’s propensity to not overpay players also played into why Amendola left in free agency.
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Amendola signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Dolphins. While that doesn’t seem like a lot of money, it is a number he said the Patriots didn’t come close to matching.
Amendola described the process with Mike Reiss of ESPN.
"“I came in with an open mind,” Amendola told Reiss on Friday. “I understand Bill runs a tight ship, and he hasn’t been known to pay his players, really. I understood that I gave money back to him so I could play for him and play for my teammates and fulfill my side of the contract, and at the end of the day, I had faith that he was going to give me an opportunity to stay.“When free agency broke, I came to the realization that he wasn’t going to really come close to any of the other offers I had. I had to make a decision for my family and go down to Miami and continue my career there.”"
The money given back that Amendola is referring to is the pay cuts that he took in recent years to remain with New England. Amendola spent the past five seasons with New England but had to take pay cuts in three consecutive offseasons to remain with the team. Amendola didn’t share what the Patriots offered him, but it was clear that it wasn’t close to what he had hoped to receive.
Amendola was a reliable player for New England when he was on the field. He battled injuries, but when the team needed him most he was ready to contribute. Amendola was great in the postseason for the Patriots.
In the 2018 playoffs, Amendola caught 26 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns. In the Super Bowl, he caught eight passes for 152 yards.
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Replacing that production will not be easy, but if there is any team that has a plan in place for it, it is New England. Getting Julian Edelman back into the fold will help offset the loss of Amendola to Miami.