Danny Amendola accepted a reduced salary to stay with the New England Patriots, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Amendola, a productive wide receiver at the best of times and a consistently injured one at the worst, had a base salary of $6 million and a cap hit of nearly $8 million for next season.
Danny Amendola takes pay cut in restructure to stay with Patriots
Danny Amendola was in danger of getting cut by the Patriots after failing to produce and remain free from injuries in 2016.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Now he will reportedly make slightly more than the $1.6 million he made in 2016.
The Patriots were unwilling to pay that much for a receiver who missed four regular season games and caught just 23 passes a year ago. Amendola had 243 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season, and 90 yards with a touchdown in the postseason.
Still, he has been a contributor, and one that Tom Brady has been happy to have, but his injuries have made him too much of a wild card to devote that much money to in 2017. The reduced salary will make keeping Amendola on the roster a much more palatable move for the Patriots.
Amendola signed a two-year, $8.1 million deal with the Patriots in 2016 and it was essentially a “prove-it” deal.
Amendola has never eclipsed 700 yards in a regular season, nor has he caught more than the four touchdowns he caught last season. His best season with the Patriots was 2015, when he had 648 receiving yards. That’s a big part of why he earned the prove-it deal.
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