Former Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola got a good deal from the Patriots, just not as good as initially advertised.
According to Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange, the deal which was reported as five years worth $31 million tops out around $28.5 million, and a significant part of that is tied to something Amendola’s rarely done — stay on the field.
Amendola did get a $6 million signing bonus, and has $4 million worth of base salary guarantees (this year’s $2 million and $2 million of next year’s scheduled $3 million base).
He also has base salaries of $4 million, $5 million and $6 million in 2015 through 2017.
The deal also includes per-game roster bonuses of $31,250 in each of the five years of the deal. If he plays all 16, he’d make an extra $500,000 per year, for a total of $2.5 million.
The only problem is, Amendola’s played 16 games exactly once in four NFL seasons, and has missed 20 games the last two years, making the full balance of the deal as originally stated hard to imagine.
UPDATE 10:26 a.m. ET: Per a source with knowledge of the deal, Balzer’s breakdown left out $500,000 per year in incentives, which means the contract does indeed top out at $31 million.