RAIDERS ADD DANNY AMENDOLA TO COACHING STAFF, VETERAN BRIAN HOYER TO QB ROOM
Vegas is hoping that “the Patriot way” becomes “the Raider way” in 2023.
The Raiders announced the hiring of former New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola as their new coaching assistant/returners coach, via their website on Tuesday.
Amendola, a former undrafted rookie free agent, wound up winning two Super Bowls (XLIX and LI) with head coach Josh McDaniels and the Patriots over his five-year period in New England. The two go all the way back to 2011 with the St. Louis Rams and will now once again work together, 12 years removed from their first encounter.
Amendola was a return specialist and led the NFL in kickoff return yards in 2009, and will now coach the Raiders punt and kick returners. The former wide receiver will also assist wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett with the team’s receiver group. The 37-year-old called time on his 13-year career last summer after a one-year stint with the Houston Texans.
The Las Vegas Raiders also added long-time Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer on Tuesday. Hoyer will be yet another former Patriot backup quarterback, following Jarrett Stidham, who left this offseason to play for the Denver Broncos. Stidham was named starter by McDaniels in December before hitting free agency last month and signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Broncos on March 13th.
Hoyer’s representatives, JL Sports, announced Hoyer’s signing on social media, confirming that the 37-year-old had inked a two-year deal with Las Vegas. The 37 year old was also an undrafted rookie free agent, similar to Amendola, and won one Super Bowl with New England in 2018.
After releasing long-time QB Derek Carr this offseason and adding former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders now add some depth at the position. Hoyer spent eight of his 14 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots over three different spells and played half of those campaigns under Josh McDaniels, who at the time, was the offensive coordinator.
With Jimmy Garoppolo’s familiarity with McDaniels’ system, it only seemed natural that his backup was equally as familiar with the type of offense McDaniels intended to run. Garoppolo was drafted by New England in 2014 and was with the Patriots between Hoyer’s stints with the club. Now, for the first time, he will share a quarterback room with the former Michigan State man.
While a logical move to add depth at quarterback via free agency, the acquisition of Brian Hoyer doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Raiders adding to the position via the draft. Vegas has the seventh-overall pick and could have their fair share of choices at quarterback if so inclined.
The Raiders can still draft one of Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, Kentucky’s Will Levis, or Miami’s Anthony Richardson depending on how the board falls. Las Vegas is tied for the most picks in the draft with 12 and could still trade up to third overall to get ‘their guy’ via the Arizona Cardinals. As per NFL Network’s draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, the Raiders and Titans are some of the teams that could potentially make a move on draft day.
For now, with the addition of both Amendola and Hoyer, the Las Vegas Raiders now boast 18 employees that were part of the culture that won six Super Bowls over the past two decades in New England. Both Hoyer and Amendola join former Patriots staffers at the club such as head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler, offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree, and tight ends coach Jerry Schuplinski.
The Raiders’ roster also includes 11 more players who, at some point, played for the Patriots, including RB Brandon Bolden, DL Adam Butler, WR Phillip Dorsett, OL Jermaine Eleumunor, FB Jakob Johnson, DE Chandler Jones, WR Jakobi Meyers, WR Isaiah Zuber, DE Jordan Jenkins, OT Justin Herron, and QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Pete Sheffield. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.