Dolphins Release Danny Amendola; Will Pats Pursue Receiver's Return To Foxboro?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots made a significant move Friday by acquiring Michael Bennett. Might they be in the mood to make another?
According to Ian Rapoport, the Miami Dolphins are releasing receiver Danny Amendola, after he just spent one season in Miami.
Amendola signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Dolphins last year, with $6 million of that money guaranteed. He caught 59 passes for 575 yards and a touchdown in 15 games for the Dolphins.
Naturally, considering Amendola was one of Tom Brady's most trusted targets during two Super Bowl runs, the question will be asked of whether or not the Patriots might pursue a reunion with the receiver, who turned 33 in November.
Amendola spent five seasons with the Patriots, catching 230 passes for 2,383 yards and 12 touchdowns in 69 regular-season games, plus 57 receptions for 709 yards and six touchdowns in 13 playoff games. He caught a touchdown in both Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LI, and he scored a critical two-point conversion during that historic comeback against Atlanta. In the Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles, Amendola caught eight passes for 152 yards in his final game as a member of the Patriots.
Now, with the Patriots potentially losing Chris Hogan and/or Phillip Dorsett to free agency, it's worth wondering if Bill Belichick might bring back a player who knows the offense well, has come through in some massive moments, and can contribute as a punt returner as well.
One potential hiccup could come from Amendola's comments last April, when Amendola called Belichick an "a--hole" and said it's not easy playing for the coach.
"It's not easy, that's for sure. He's an a--hole sometimes," Amendola told ESPN's Mike Reiss. "There were a lot of things I didn't like about playing for him, but I must say, the things I didn't like were all in regards to getting the team better, and I respected him. I didn't like practicing in the snow, I didn't like practicing in the rain, but that was going to make us a better football team and that was going to make me a better football player. It wasn't easy, and he'd be the first to admit, at the [Super Bowl] ring ceremony, that it wasn't easy playing for him. The silver lining was that we were at the ring ceremony."
