Veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer wasn’t the only former Patriot who the Raiders brought on board Tuesday.
Las Vegas also added to its coaching staff by signing ex-New England receiver Danny Amendola. Amendola, a 13-year NFL veteran, landed his first coaching gig a little over eight months after officially announcing the end of his playing days.
Amendola won’t be coaching up the wideouts in Sin City, though. The 37-year-old will serve as a coaching assistant to his former offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, and also coach returners. As ESPN pointed out in a column published Tuesday, the Raiders did not have a coach for return specialists on staff last season.
“It’s a valuable guy, if you can find the right one,” McDaniels told ESPN. “He has done it and done it at a high level. He will help our guys.”
Amendola definitely has seen it all as a returner. The two-time Super Bowl champion walked away from the game with 153 kickoff returns and 198 punt returns under his belt. He first made a name for himself in the NFL as a return man, leading the league in kickoff return yards as a rookie in 2009.
The Texas Tech product also will add to a theme among McDaniels’ coaches. With Amendola on staff, the Raiders now have eight coaches who previously spent time in New England.
