Danny Amendola did the New England Patriots a huge favor by restructuring his contract for the second consecutive offseason.
The receiver reworked his deal Friday, and details of the contract emerged Tuesday morning.
Amendola was due to make a $5 million salary with $1,366,666 signing bonus proration, a $437,500 46-man roster bonus for a total cap hit of $6,804,166 before restructuring, according to PatsCap.com.
He’ll now make a $1.25 million salary, with $1,366,666 signing bonus proration, a $50,000 2016 signing bonus proration, a $250,000 46-man roster bonus for a total cap hit of $2,916,666.
That frees up $3,887,500 in salary cap for the Patriots this season. They currently have $9,397,697 in salary cap space, according to NFL Players’ Association records. They need some of that money for in-season spending. They also can carry the cap space over into the 2017 season.
Amendola’s 2017 cap hit actually increases by $50,000 because of the 2016 signing bonus proration. His total 2017 cap hit is $7,916,668, indicating he might need to redo his deal again next offseason to stay in New England.
He caught 65 passes for 648 yards with three touchdowns in 14 regular-season games last season. He also returned 23 punts for 276 yards and eight kicks for 172 yards.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
