Danny Amendola, Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh McDaniels won two Super Bowls together in New England, and the trio will now try to win a third title together with the Raiders. Amendola will join Garoppolo and McDaniels in Las Vegas after he was named as its new coaching assistant/returners.
A 13-year NFL veteran, Amendola was an accomplished receiver and returner who led the NFL in kickoff return yards as a rookie with the Lions in 2009 and in average yards per punt return in 2015 as a member of the Patriots. Amendola's prowess as a returner contributed to him leading the league in all-purpose yards in 2010.
Amendola spent the middle portion of his career with the Patriots that included Super Bowl wins in 2014 and in 2016. He caught a key touchdown pass in the Patriots' come-from-behind win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. His touchdown catch and game-tying two-point conversion grab helped New England overcome a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
In Super Bowl LII, his final game with the Patriots, Amendola caught eight passes for a game-high 152 yards in New England's 41-33 loss to Philadelphia. Amendola was part of history as the Patriots became the first team in Super Bowl history with three 100-yard receivers (Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan being the other two).
Amendola spent the 2018 season in Miami before playing in Detroit during the 2019 and '20 seasons. He retired after spending the 2021 season with the Houston Texans.
Like Amendola, Garoppolo is also entering his first year with the Raiders after spending the previous six seasons with the 49ers. McDaniels, who was part of each of the Patriots' six Super Bowl wins, is going into his second season as the Raiders' head coach. McDaniels is surely hoping that this season goes better than his first year in Las Vegas. The Raiders, fresh off of a wild card playoff appearance, went just 6-11 last season.
McDaniels made waves late in the year when he benched Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr while signaling the end of Carr's run with the franchise. Las Vegas continued its roster rebuild this offseason when it traded former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to the Giants in exchange for a third-round pick.
