Josh McDaniels Explains Adding Danny Amendola To Raiders’ Coaching Staff

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.