Mike Florio basically wrote a source-less speculation story last night, stating the Patriots "might" release Danny Amendola. This story has been picked up by some a few other reporters and as turned into a semi-big story when it comes to Patriots coverage.
For the record the story is a complete joke. Florio basically states the obvious and something that has been an obvious possibility since over a year ago.
I doubt Amendola plays for anyone else next season though. Yes it is very true that he will likely have to take a pay cut or restructure his contract, I have stated this for months. But Amendola is not dumb and certainly not unwilling to do so, considering he did so last year. The reality is it is extremely unlikely the Pats will pay him more than Edelman, which he will currently make more than Edelman. Also the reality is he will realistically not make much more than 3-4 million a year on the open market and that number will only get lower as the offseason moves on and free agents take even less.
Since Amendola has no date specific bonuses, there is no set date(like the case with a lot of players) in which the Pats will need to make a decision, or risk carrying more dead money.
Multiple ways the Pats could save cap with Amendola:
1. Release, saves about 3 million.
2. Pay cut, saves whatever he agrees to.
3. Extension, saves between 2 and 4 million.
4. Convert base salary into bonus, saves about 2 million.
My bet is they opt for a combination of 2 and 4, with the opportunity to earn some of that money back in terms of incentives. It would make Amendola earn less in base salary than Edelman, plus give him an opportunity to earn more through various incentives. Amendola stays in a situation where he has performed his best and gets fairly compensated while helping the Pats save a little bit of money.
Pats have between 10 and 11 million in cap space after all of their current moves. Need about $600,000 to sign the 2016 draft class(assuming there are no significant trade ups), and about 1 million for in season incentives/2017 rollover. So the Pats have at least 8 million more to spend before any restructures/releases.
And I think New England is mostly done with free agency when it comes to major signings. I do think they will add Nate Washington or Anquan Boldin, which shouldn't cost more than 3 million per year, and resign Blount. My guess is they will sit near 6 million in cap space. Can extend Hightower and save 5 million in cap space, which they can then use to extend Collins, and can use the remaining 6 million to extend Butler. I think they would like to extend Sheard, but it seems unlikely after these monster DE deals. The cap is expected to see another significant increase in 2017, so that could change their mindset.