Getty Danny Amendola prior to a Lions game.
The Detroit Lions have plenty of decisions to make in terms of their own free agents in 2020, and have made a vital one as the offseason begins with wide receiver Danny Amendola.
According to Peter Schrager of the NFL Network, the Lions are bringing Amendola back on a short term contract which will keep the veteran in the Motor City for another year catching passes with the team.
Some pre-Combine news.
Free agent WR Danny Amendola is re-signing with the @Lions on a 1-year deal, per league sources.
Amendola is coming off a 62 reception/ 678 yard 2019 season.
This was a busy week for the Lions, as they released Damon Harrison to save some cash. Now, with Amendola coming back, the Lions have kept a key part of their offense left over from the 2019 season. The hope is with some health around Amendola, the team can get even better with him in the mix.
Danny Amendola Was Rumored to Join Tom Brady
As Doug Kyed of NESN.com pointed out a few weeks back, Amendola might have been eying a reunion with Tom Brady this offseason, no matter where the quarterback might land. This could even include a return to New England Patriots if Brady wants to go back there when all is said and done.
Don’t be surprised if Tom Brady brings along FA WR Danny Amendola to wherever he plays next season. That could even be a reunion in New England.
As it relates to the Lions, it was speculated at the time that the team could want to bring Amendola back, but he might be in line to get a little bit more money than they have to offer. Obviously, the money and the fit made sense to Amendola in the end.
Now that this news has been settled, Amendola will not be joining Brady, and appeared content to be in Detroit with Matthew Stafford and the team’s offense.
Danny Amendola’s 2019 Stats
Amendola made his biggest mark in the league when he was on the Patriots, but he had an impressive bounce back season in 2019. He put up 678 yards and 1 touchdown for the Lions last year. That was one year after his 575 yard performance with the Miami Dolphins. As a whole, he’s put up 5,362 yards and 21 touchdowns in the NFL.
This past season, Amendola didn’t look to be slowing down at 34 years old with the Lions. It’s likely that he has plenty left, and the Lions likely love his leadership as much as his ability to make key catches in traffic for the team.
Lions Cap Space in 2020
Detroit will have a decent chunk of change to spend this offseason, having restructured Matthew Stafford’s deal to push their cap space to around $50 million dollars for the coming season. With this money, the Lions will have multiple different needs to address including the defensive line, secondary as well as potential upgrades on offense.
The Lions could always open up more space with a few savvy moves, and there could be other cap casualties that might impact the team’s final salary number more dramatically ahead of March.
For now, though, the Lions have a decent amount of money to spend to patch several of the holes they will be dealing with. Amendola’s signing was merely the first in-house move the team decided on this offseason.
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Lions Re-Sign Veteran Wide Receiver to New Contract: Report