Patscap breaks down Danny Amendola’s 2017 $4.75M paycut
On April 24th ESPN.Com’s Mike Reiss with an huge assist from Field Yates reported the details of Danny Amendola’s paycut.
Before this paycut Danny Amendola’s 2017 cap number was $7,791,668 which consisted of a
* $6 million salary
* $1,416,668 in signing bonus proration
* $375,000 ($31,250 per 46-man active roster appearance) roster bonus.
After this paycut Danny Amendola’s 2017 cap number is now $3,041,668 which consisted of a
* $1.25 million salary
* $50,000 offseason workout bonus
* $1,516,668 in signing bonus proration
* $225,000 ($18,750 per 46-man active roster appearance) roster bonus.
Under his old deal Danny Amendola could have earned $6.5 million in cash from the Patriots in 2017. Under this new deal he could earn up to $1.7M. There has been no mention of whether Danny Amendola’s new deal still contains his $500,000 NTLBE incentive that was tied to receptions with the lowest trigger level being 90 receptions.
Prior Paycuts:
2015
In March of 2015 Danny Amendola and the Patriots restructured his deal. His 2015 salary was lowered from $4 million to $1.25 million while Amendola was given a $500,000 signing bonus which was prorated over the 2015/2016/2017 seasons. Danny Amendola’s $500,000 receptions incentive was increased to $750,000. His incentives were changed from 90 receptions to the following tiered structure.
* 40 catches for $150,000 – Earned
* 50 catches for another $150,000 ($300,000 total) – Earned
* 60 catches for another $225,000 ($525,000 total) – Earned
* 70 catches for another $225,000 ($750,000 total) – Unearned
Danny Amendola had 63 receptions in 2015 and was active for 15 games. His 2015 cash intake totaled $2,712,500
* $1.25 million salary
* $500,000 signing bonus
* $525,000 in earned incentives
* $437,500 for being active for 14 games ($31,250 per game)
==========
$2,712,500
2016
On May 10, 2016 the Boston Globe’ Ben Volin tweeted that the “Danny Amendola was supposed to have a $5m salary and $6.8m cap hit. New deal has $1.25m salary, $100k signing bonus and $250k per-game bonus”; “Amendola’s new deal guarantees him $1.35m, all this year.; “His new cap number this year is $2,916,666. So #Patriots save $3.4m in cash and $3.9m in salary cap on Amendola” and “Amendola gets $25,000 per game active, but only up to 10 games”.
Danny Amendola’s 2016 cap number was $2,916,666 which consisted of a
* $1.25 million salary
* $1,416,666 in signing bonus proration
* $250,000 ($25,000 per 46-man active roster appearance – maximum of 10 games) roster bonus.
Danny Amendola had 63 receptions in 2015 and was active for 12 games. His 2015 cash intake totaled $2,712,500
* $1.25 million salary
* $100,000 signing bonus
* $250,000 ($25,000 per 46-man active roster appearance up to 10 games) roster bonus.
===========
$1,600,0000
Danny Amendola’s $7.8 million cap hit was the 5th highest on the 2017 Patriots and was the highest of Brady’s offensive weapons. After the paycut Danny Amendola’s $3 million cap hit is now the 18th highest on the 2017 Patriots and is now the 5th highest of Brady’s offensive weapons.
Gronkowski, Rob $6,750,000
Edelman, Julian $5,750,000
Allen, Dwayne $4,937,500
Gillislee, Mike $3,968,750
Amendola, Danny $3,041,668
Burkhead, Rex $3,125,000
Hogan, Chris $2,968,750
White, James $1,789,272
Cooks, Brandin $1,563,198
Lewis, Dion $1,487,500
Develin, James $1,375,000
Bolden, Brandon $695,000 (Bolden’s deal qualifies for the Minimum Salary Benefit treatment which lowers the cap hit of his salary to $615,000)
Mitchell, Malcolm $684,498
Housler, Rob $620,000 (Rob Housler’s deal qualifies for the Minimum Salary Benefit treatment which lowers the cap hit of his salary to $615,000)
The salaries of the below players are not counting against the Patriots salary cap because of the Top 51 rule
Foster, D.J. $0
Lucien, Devin $0
Lengel, Matt $0
Williams, Michael $0
Gronkowski, Glenn $0
Some frequently asked questions about the salary cap implications of Danny Amendola’s paycut
Q: Did you expect this paycut?
A: Yes. For months I have been advising my Twitter followers to bet everything that Danny Amendola would not be on the Patriots Week 1 roster playing with a $7.8M cap hit.
Q: What surprised you about the paycut?
A: The inclusion of the offseason workout bonus
Q: How much was the paycut in 2015?
A: It ended up being $1,787,500 after factoring in the 2015 incentives he earned.
Q: How much was the paycut in 2016?
A: $3,887,500
Q: How much of Amendola’s deal is guaranteed?
A: $1.35 million which consists of his 2017 salary of $1.25 million and his $100,000 signing bonus.
Q: Does this pay-cut guarantee a spot on the 53-man roster for Danny Amendola?
A: I think so. Now consider him a roster lock along with Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Brandin Cooks and Malcolm Mitchell.
Q: What was the maximum pay-cut that Amendola could have received?
A: Lowering Danny Amendola’s salary from $6 million to $900,000, the lowest minimum salary for a player with Danny Amendola’s experience along with eliminating his 46-man active roster bonus would have resulted in a 2016 cash intake of just $900,000 for a cap savings of $5,475,000. I strongly doubt that Amendola would have agreed to such a paycut
Q: Exactly how much cap space did this paycut create?
A: $4,750,000
Q: What would be the dead money hit if Amendola is cut in 2017 during roster cutdowns?
A: $2,816,668
Q: What would be the dead money hit if Amendola is traded in 2017 during the roster cutdowns?
A: $1,566,668
Q: Why the differing amounts?
A: His guaranteed salary would go to his new team
Q: How much cap space would be created if Danny Amendola is cut or traded in 2017?
A: $225,000
Q: How much cap space do the Patriots now have?
A: As of 6:40AM April 25th $20,027,765
Q: Do the Patriots now have enough cap space for the rest of the year?
A: Very much so.
Q: How much could Danny Amendola earned under original deal?
A: $31 million if he was active for every game and earn his $500,000 receptions all five years.
Q: How much is Danny Amendola now scheduled to earn from 2013 through 2017 after his three paycuts?
A: $17,887,500 – over $13 million dollars less than originally scheduled.
Q: Have you ever heard of a player taking a pay cut 3 straight years?
A: No. But it is unusual for a restructure not to address future years at the same time. In 2015 Amendola’s paycut did not change the terms of the 2016/2017 years. In 2016 Amendola’s paycut did not change the terms of the 2017 year.
Q: What do you think of the praise that Amendola gets for taking a paycut?
A: Personally, I would not praise a player for agreeing to take a market-value deal in the same way I would not praise my realtor for selling my home for its market value. $1.7M is right around his value to the Patriots. $1.7M probably makes Amendola one of the highest paid, if not the highest paid, 4th/5th receiver on a team.
A call for a donation
A long-time family friend, my youngest sister’s best friend, is on the board of directors of a soup kitchen and food pantry in Malden, Massachusetts that serves over 400 low-income and homeless families per month. I am asking that if you have found my salary cap pages useful that if you are able to do so, please make a donation to the Bread of Life soup kitchen/food pantry. Their address is
Attn: Mea Quinn Mustone
Bread of Life
54 Eastern Avenue, Rear
Malden, MA 02148
Please mention this website Patscap.Com with your donation.
You can have a portion of your Amazon.Com purchases donated to the Bread of Life.
You can learn how to do so by watching a YouTube video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eA-t4XxeOc
Posted Under: Individual Salary Cap
