Free agent Danny Amendola will not return to the Patriots; signs with the Lions

For a short period of time, it looked like a reunion between wide receiver Danny Amendola and the New England Patriots was a realistic possibility: after the veteran’s release from the Miami Dolphins on Friday, both parties expressed mutual interest in each other. However, the process never reached another stage as it now appears as if Amendola is headed to another team — one with many ties to the Patriots: the Detroit Lions.

According to a report by ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the 33-year old will join the club coached by former New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later added some details to the original story: Amendola will sign a one-year deal with Detroit that includes a fully-guaranteed $4.5 million base salary and could go as high as $5.75 million through incentives.

Amendola, of course, was viewed as a potential target for a Patriots team that will see three members of its 2018 wide receiver corps — Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson — hit the open market on Wednesday. During his five-year tenure with New England from 2013 to 2017, he served as a reliable rotational third wide receiver and helped the club to two Super Bowl titles.