Patriots Rumors: Danny Amendola Out, Jordy Nelson in?
Following the loss of wide receiver Danny Amendola to the division rival Miami Dolphins, could the New England Patriots find his replacement in Jordy Nelson?
News broke Tuesday afternoon that the long-time Green Bay Packer was being released after 10 seasons with the team. A favorite target of Aaron Rodgers, Nelson, who will turn 32 in May, struggled to contribute last season with backup quarterback Brett Hundley under center. Coming off a torn ACL, Nelson posted 1,257 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016, but was limited to only 482 yards and six touchdowns in 2017.
Still, Nelson is tied for the fourth most touchdown receptions since 2014 (33) behind only Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, Jr., DeAndre Hopkins and Rob Gronkowski. While the Patriots have good depth at wide receiver with the likes of Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan and Kenny Britt, pairing Nelson with Tom Brady could be too good of an opportunity for the "win now" Patriots. One role that Nelson won't fill on the Patriots is that of punt returning, which is now a hole following the loss of Amendola and the potential loss of Lewis.
However, the cap-strapped Patriots have more pressing needs at the moment with starting left tackle Nate Solder and starting running back Dion Lewis testing the free agent market. With rumblings of unhappy players -- namely Brady and Gronkowski -- following a 2017 season that ended with an embarrassing Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, adding another big-name weapon for Brady could go a long way in turning the page to next season.
It's unclear what the market will be for Nelson following his release on a day when Sammy Watkins (three-years, $48 million), Allen Robinson (three-years, $42 million), Marquise Lee (four-years, $38 million) and Albert Wilson (three-year, $24 million) all cashed in. After an uncharacteristic off season last year, the Patriots seem to have returned to their old ways by avoiding big name free agents like Richard Sherman and instead focusing on value deals with high upside like Danny Shelton.
Nelson likely falls somewhere in the middle, but if the price is right, don't be surprised to see the Patriots in the mix.
Do you want to see the Patriots sign Jordy Nelson? Are you concerned with the Patriots lack of moves this off season? Let us know in the comments section below.
