Danny Amendola was well aware that his future with the New England Patriots was far from guaranteed. While his touchdown in the Super Bowl certainly helped, the wide receiver was at risk of getting cut thanks to his heavy salary-cap hit. New England was proving they were not afraid to let go of players as Vince Wilfork walked away and Amendola took the necessary steps to make sure he got to stick around.
After trade and release rumors circled his name, Amendola opted to accept a pay cut in order to remain with the Patriots. After getting a Super Bowl ring following the win over the Seattle Seahawks, Amendola had no intentions of heading elsewhere and accepted a cut from $4 million to $1.25 million which saved New England $2.58 in cap space.
"I love playing for this team, for these coaches, for this organization," Amendola said, via ESPNBoston.com. "I have family out here. This is home to me. I love playing here. This is a great experience, and I'd like to prolong that for as long as I can. It's been fun. It's a business. Everybody treats it like a business. You love playing football, you love being around the locker room, and that's really the most important thing for me. I love the group we have here. I love the work ethic everybody puts in each week. I love being here, and that's why I chose to come back."
While Amendola's return is nice, that is not stopping the Patriots from eyeing running back and wide receiver help in the NFL Draft. There is now doubt surrounding the potential of LeGarrett Blount heading into the 2015 season after the running back was suspended for one game following violating the league's substance abuse policy. According to the Boston Herald, Blount is at risk of getting cut from the team if the Patriots draft a running back this year.
The Herald is reporting the Patriots are eyeing a running back in the middle rounds of the draft. The team has been linked to everyone from Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon to Duke Johnson and Tevin Coleman. The latter two running backs will be available in round three for New England as both would be ideal fits to the offensive system. The Herald highlighted Coleman as being the best value for New England considering he is a full-package back. An incoming rookie would hurt Blount's standings with the team.
