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Daniel James Amendola (born November 2, 1985) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
wide receiver. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
at
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
. He was signed by the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
as an
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
in 2008. After spending his entire rookie season on the Cowboys' practice squad, Amendola then spent part of the 2009 season on the practice squad of the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
before being signed by the St. Louis Rams. With the Rams, he began his career as an active player over four seasons. He then spent the next five seasons with the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
where he appeared in three Super Bowls, winning two. He then had stints with the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
,
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, and
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NR ...
over the final four seasons of his career.


Early years

Amendola attended
The Woodlands High School The Woodlands High School is a public high school in The Woodlands CDP, in unincorporated Montgomery County, Texas and is a part of the Conroe Independent School District. Some of the Montgomery County portion of The Woodlands and a portion of ...
in The Woodlands,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, playing football under coach Weldon Willig. He completed his high school career by leading his team to its first-ever Texas state championship game. Although they lost the championship to North Shore High School, Amendola finished his
senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...
season with 1,045 receiving yards, 129 rushing yards, and eight
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
s.


College career

Amendola finished his college career at
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
with 204 receptions for 2,246 yards and 15
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
s. He also returned 116 punts for 1,283 yards and one touchdown, giving him an average of 11.06 yards per return, which ranks Amendola third all-time in school history in punt returns and yardage, behind only
Wes Welker Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
and
Tyrone Thurman Tyrone Thurman (born December 31, 1966) is a former American football wide receiver. He played at the college level at Texas Tech, where he earned All-American honors as a kick returner and played for teams in both the Arena Football League and ...
. Amendola's best year was his senior year, when he recorded 109 catches for 1,245 yards and six touchdowns. As a freshman in 2004, Amendola saw limited duty on offense but was Tech's leading punt returner. He was named to the All-Big 12 first-team as punt return specialist. He also caught 13 passes during the season, including one touchdown pass during the 2004 game against the
Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to jo ...
. During the 2005 season, Amendola made two memorable plays that led to Red Raider victories. The first was late in the 2005 game against the
Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early part ...
. Tech was trailing and on fourth down, a
Cody Hodges Cody Hodges (born November 20, 1982) is a philanthropist, motivational speaker, and former professional American football player, playing in the National Football League, Arena Football League, and the Arena League 2. Hodges is best known for his ...
pass attempt was tipped, and Amendola made a leaping catch in traffic. He was tackled immediately and appeared to have been stopped just short of a first down. However, the spot was reviewed by the replay officials and the final spot of the ball resulted in a first down. The drive was kept alive and resulted in yet another disputed call—
Taurean Henderson Taurean Levar Henderson (born January 20, 1983), is a former American football player. He is a multi-purpose running back and is currently a coach with the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League. Early life Born the son of KeSandra Hender ...
's stretch over the goal line on the final play of regulation, which gave the Red Raiders the victory over the Sooners. Another game-changing play came when Amendola recovered the fumble from an intercepted pass during the final drive of the 2005 game against the
Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...
. Tech needed a touchdown to win. Tech quarterback
Cody Hodges Cody Hodges (born November 20, 1982) is a philanthropist, motivational speaker, and former professional American football player, playing in the National Football League, Arena Football League, and the Arena League 2. Hodges is best known for his ...
's pass was tipped and intercepted. Instead of taking a knee to seal the victory, the Nebraska defender decided to run with the ball and had it stripped. Amendola dove for the loose ball and recovered it. Tech retained possession, resulting in a game-winning touchdown pass from Hodges to
Joel Filani Joel O. Filani (born December 8, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver, and is the current wide receivers coach for the Washington State Cougars Football Team. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2007 NF ...
on fourth down with under 30 seconds remaining. As a junior in 2006, Amendola had 48 receptions for 487 yards and five touchdowns. As a senior in 2007, Amendola had 109 receptions for 1,245 yards and six touchdowns. Amendola majored in Communication Studies while at Texas Tech, but left early to train for the
NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
.


Collegiate statistics


Professional career

Amendola drew numerous comparisons to former Texas Tech receiver
Wes Welker Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
, whose NFL career included stints with the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
, the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, and the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, as the two have similar builds (Welker is 5'9", 185 lb, while Amendola is 5'11", 183 lb), and played the same positions at Texas Tech (slot receiver and punt returner).


Dallas Cowboys (2008)

Amendola signed as an undrafted
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
with the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
on April 27, 2008. His attempt to make it to the NFL was featured on the HBO special '' Hard Knocks''. Amendola was cut by the Cowboys on August 30 and re-signed to the practice squad after clearing waivers. He spent the entire 2008 regular season on the team's
practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
, and never saw regular season action.


Philadelphia Eagles (2009)

After his contract expired with the Cowboys, Amendola was signed to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
practice squad on January 6, 2009. Following the season, Amendola was re-signed to a future contract on January 19, 2009. He was waived during final cuts on September 5, 2009. He was re-signed to their practice squad on September 6, 2009, but never played a down in the regular season.


St. Louis Rams (2009–2012)

Amendola was signed off the Eagles' practice squad by the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...
on September 22, 2009. The Rams signed Amendola after hiring former Philadelphia Eagles' quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur to be their offensive coordinator. In his first NFL regular season action in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, he caught 43 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown as a slot receiver. He also returned 66 kickoffs for 1,618 yards and 31 punts for 360 yards. He started in six games in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, an increase from his two starts in 2009. In 2010, Amendola led the NFL in all-purpose yards with 2,364, including 689 yards on 85 receptions, 81 yards on 7 rushing attempts, 1,142 yards on 50 kickoff returns, and 452 yards on 40 punt returns. In
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, Amendola sustained an upper-arm injury in the first game of the season that resulted in him missing the remaining 15 games of the season after he underwent season-ending triceps surgery to repair the damage. On September 16, 2012, Amendola had 12 catches in the first half in a Week 2 game against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
that tied the record for most catches in a half set by
Reggie Wayne Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted ...
in 2007. He finished the game with career-highs with 15 receptions for 160 yards to go along with a receiving touchdown. On October 4, 2012, Amendola suffered a dislocated clavicle in the second quarter of the game versus the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. In a rare case, instead of popping out, the clavicle popped in and came millimeters from puncturing his trachea and aorta, which could have killed him. Rams' medical staff called around the league for information, but no teams reported ever having a player suffer a similar injury. Amendola was anesthetized before popping the clavicle back into place. Due to the unusual nature of the injury the Rams were not certain when Amendola would return, but he was able to recover after just three weeks and recorded 11 catches for 102 yards in a hard-fought tie with the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He finished the season with 804 total yards, including 666 yards on 63 receptions and 122 yards on 17 punt returns. Amendola joined Mark Chapman and
Mike Carlson Michael Carlson (born March 12, 1951) is a pundit of National Football League (NFL) coverage in the United Kingdom. He worked on Channel Five's coverage of the sport from 1998–2010 and Channel 4's coverage of the sport from 2010-2015. He wa ...
for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's coverage of
Super Bowl XLVI Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
on February 5, 2012.


New England Patriots (2013–2017)

On March 13, 2013, just hours after
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
slot receiver
Wes Welker Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
signed with the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, the Patriots announced the signing of Amendola. Amendola received a five-year contract for $28.5 million, with $10 million of that money guaranteed. According to Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran of
CSN New England NBC Sports Boston is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports events th ...
, Amendola actually signed with the Patriots before Welker signed with the Broncos.


2013 season

In the aftermath of the
Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...
, Amendola pledged on his
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
feed to donate to a recovery fund $100 for every pass he caught during the 2013 season, and $200 for every pass he dropped. Patriots defensive back
Devin McCourty Devin McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2010 NFL ...
, citing Amendola, made a similar pledge ($100 per tackle, and $200 per
interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
). In his Week 1 debut with New England, Amendola suffered a groin injury in the first half against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. He then returned after halftime to finish the game with 10 catches for 104 yards. Three of his catches were on crucial 3rd downs including two on the game-winning drive. Amendola became the 50th receiver all time to catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady when he caught a touchdown in the first quarter of a game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
on November 3, 2013. Despite high expectations for the 2013 season, Amendola finished the year with 54 catches for 633 yards and two touchdowns, second to
Julian Edelman Julian Francis Edelman (born May 22, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Kent State as a Quarterback and ...
. He had three games going over the 100-yard mark on the year.


2014 season

In the 2014 season, Amendola only caught 27 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown. However, he had a solid game against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the Divisional Round of that year's playoffs, catching five passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard score thrown by fellow wide receiver
Julian Edelman Julian Francis Edelman (born May 22, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Kent State as a Quarterback and ...
on a screen pass. The Patriots would defeat the Ravens by a score of 35–31. In the
AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
game, Amendola recorded one catch for 8 yards in a 45–7 victory against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. In
Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
, Amendola recorded five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown in a 28–24 victory against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
.


2015 season

On September 27, 2015, in a Week 3 game against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
, Amendola caught Tom Brady's 400th career touchdown pass. On November 15, 2015, Amendola returned a kickoff 82 yards, and would have had a touchdown if he hadn't been tripped by his own teammate, Duron Harmon, on the 6-yard line. The next week, in a 20–13 win over the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, Amendola racked up nine catches for 117 yards before leaving with a knee injury. The injury was later reported to be a sprain, putting Amendola's availability on a week-to-week basis. He returned on December 6 in a 35–28 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, catching seven passes for 62 yards and a touchdown and completing a pass to quarterback Tom Brady for 36 yards. On January 22, 2016, Amendola was fined $23,152 by the NFL for an illegal block on
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
punt returner
Jamell Fleming Jamell Fleming (born May 5, 1989) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. Originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the ...
during the AFC Divisional Round.


2016 season

In Week 2, Amendola caught four passes for 48 yards and a career-high two touchdowns from
Jimmy Garoppolo James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
in a 31–24 win over the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. In Week 13 against his former team, the St. Louis Rams, he suffered a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for the rest of the regular season, but he returned for the playoffs. The Patriots reached
Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...
, where Amendola had eight catches for 78 yards in the Patriots' historic 34–28 overtime comeback victory over the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. Amendola scored the Patriots' first touchdown of the fourth quarter to narrow what had been a 25-point Falcons lead down to 28–18 and a
two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...
with less than a minute to go to tie the game at 28–28. His Super Bowl LI touchdown was his second Super Bowl receiving touchdown. He became the 27th player in NFL history to have at least two career receiving touchdowns in the Super Bowl. Amendola finished the season with 23 receptions on 29 targets for 243 yards and four touchdowns in 2016. His 79.3% catch rate was the best of his career.


2017 season

Amendola started the 2017 season with a solid performance in a 42–27 loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
on ''
Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
''. He had six receptions for 100 yards before exiting the game with a head injury. He finished the 2017 season with 61 receptions for 659 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. During the 2017 postseason, Amendola was given the nickname "Danny Playoff" by teammate
Rob Gronkowski Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played h ...
, due to his strong postseason performances. Some also refer to him as simply "Playoff 'Dola." Amendola was named
MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the
AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
versus the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
on January 21, 2018. He had seven receptions for 84 yards, including two touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter, and a key 20-yard punt return to set up New England's winning touchdown as the Patriots rallied from being down 20–10 to win 24–20 and earn a trip to
Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...
. During the Super Bowl, Amendola finished with eight receptions for 152 receiving yards but the Patriots lost 41–33 to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
.


Miami Dolphins (2018)

On March 15, 2018, Amendola signed a two-year contract with the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
. In Week 8 of the 2018 season, against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, he threw a touchdown pass to
Kenyan Drake Kenyan Drake (born January 26, 1994) is an American football running back and kick returner for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. Drake was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the th ...
in the 42–23 loss. On the 2018 season, Amendola recorded 59 receptions for 575 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. On March 8, 2019, Amendola was released by the Dolphins.


Detroit Lions (2019–2020)


2019 season

On March 11, 2019, Amendola signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
. The contract also includes up to $1.25 million in incentives. Amendola had previously played under Lions head coach
Matt Patricia Matthew Edward Patricia (born September 13, 1974) is an American football coach who is the senior football advisor and offensive line coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He has served 15 non-consecutive sea ...
when the coach was the Patriots' defensive coordinator. Amendola made his debut with the Lions in Week 1 against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. In the game, Amendola caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in a 27–27 tie. In Week 7 against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
, Amendola caught eight passes for 105 yards in the 42-30 loss. In Week 15 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, Amendola caught eight passes for 102 yards in the 38–17 loss. In week 17 Amendola caught two passes for 16 yards and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie quarterback
David Blough David Marshall Blough (born July 31, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was Purdue's backup quarterback in 2015 and led the Boilermakers to a win against Nebraska. As a r ...
during the 23–20 loss to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. During the 2019 season, Amendola posted 62 receptions for 678 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.


2020 season

On February 22, 2020, Amendola re-signed with the Lions on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million. In the 2020 season, Amendola had 46 receptions for 602 receiving yards in 14 games.


Houston Texans (2021)

On September 7, 2021, Amendola signed a one-year contract with the Texans worth $2.5 million. He was placed on injured reserve on December 4, 2021. He was activated on December 25. In the 2021 season, Amendola recorded 24 receptions for 248 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in eight games. In July 2022, Amendola announced his retirement from professional football.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Personal life

Amendola's father is Alfred "Willie" Amendola, the head football coach at Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas. In 2011, Willie Amendola was the head coach at
Dekaney High School Andy Dekaney High School is a public secondary school located at 22351 Imperial Valley Drive and Bammel Road in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States, with a ZIP code of 77073. Dekaney serves a small portion of Houston and sections ...
. After the Dekaney Wildcats won the 5A Division II Texas state football championship in December 2011 at
Cowboys Stadium AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the hom ...
, an unmanned
cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...
struck him and several other people. Video footage of the incident went viral. The elder Amendola sued the stadium for more than $1 million, alleging that negligent employees put objects on the floor of the cart that lodged under the gas pedal, causing it to accelerate out of control. Amendola is half-Italian (through his father) and half-Irish (through his mother). Both of his parents are from Boston. In July 2017, Amendola signed a contract to be represented by
Ford Models Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. Company Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eileen ...
, making him the first NFL player the agency has signed. From February 2016 to April 2019, Amendola was in an on-again-off-again relationship with
fashion influencer A fashion influencer is a personality that has a large number of followers on social media, creates mainly fashion content and has the power to influence the opinion and purchase behavior of others with their recommendations. Brands endorse them t ...
Olivia Culpo Olivia Frances Culpo (born May 8, 1992) is an American model, fashion influencer, social media personality, and actress. After winning the Miss Rhode Island USA competition, she went on to be crowned Miss USA, and then Miss Universe in 2012. ...
.


References


External links


Houston Texans bio

Texas Tech Red Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amendola, Danny 1985 births Living people American football return specialists American football wide receivers American people of Irish descent American sportspeople of Italian descent Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players Houston Texans players Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players People from The Woodlands, Texas Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas St. Louis Rams players Texas Tech Red Raiders football players Ed Block Courage Award recipients