After a strong 2017 season and an immensely productive playoff run, Danny Amendola is set to garner significant interest on the free agent market later this month.
That’s according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, who reported Thursday the buzz around the New England Patriots wide receiver is “heating up.”
Howe speculated Amendola, who is entering his 10th NFL season, could command between $3 million and $5 million annually and said the Patriots will need to “make a competitive offer” if they hope to re-sign the 32-year-old.
Would Amendola accept a hometown discount? He restructured his contract before each of the last three seasons to remain in New England and said during an event Tuesday night at Bryant University that he hopes to return to the Patriots in 2018.
“I definitely want to be here,” Amendola said. “To tell you the truth, I don’t want to leave. But it’s a business. I’ve learned that.”
With Julian Edelman sitting out the season with a torn ACL and Chris Hogan missing two months with a shoulder injury, Amendola took on a greater role in 2017. He caught 61 passes on 86 targets for 659 yards (30 shy of his career high) and two touchdowns during the regular season, then reached another level entirely in the playoffs.
After finishing with 11 receptions on 13 targets for 112 yards in a divisional-round win over the Tennessee Titans, Amendola helped lead New England’s fourth-quarter comeback in the AFC Championship Game, catching two touchdown passes in the final nine minutes to knock off the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In Super Bowl LII, Amendola was the Patriots’ leading receiver, catching eight passes on 11 targets for a game-high 152 yards in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. His final postseason stats: 33 targets, 26 catches, 348 yards, two touchdowns.
