Patriots Ex Danny Amendola Retiring From Coaching

Unlike many other Las Vegas visitors, Danny Amendola apparently knows when to walk away.

The former New England Patriots receiver announced his apparent retirement from coaching on “The Dan and Ninko Show,” stepping away from an assistant role with the Las Vegas Raiders that had him working with returners.

“I think I’m good on the coaching thing for a little bit,” Amendola said. “I wanted to get in and kind of see what it was all about. I’m really glad I did it. I think I retired my whistle for now.”

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Under Amendola’s sole season of supervision, the Raiders’ return game headlined by DeAndre Carter ranked 10th on average punts (9.96) and 11th on kickoffs (23.82). That, however, was far from enough to match the adrenaline and rush of a 13-year career that featured five seasons in New England, two of which ended with a Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist.

“I wanted to go in and feel if I felt any of that competitive juice on game day,” Amendola explained. “It was there but it’s so hard to replace actually playing in the game. A lot of it felt like work … it’s just hard to replace that feeling you get of that competitive nature when you’re not playing. “

The first half of Amendola’s brief tenure was served under former New England collaborator Josh McDaniels, who was fired after eight games. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce has since been granted the full-time duties.

Amendola earned 2,383 yards and 12 scores (plus six more in 13 playoff appearances) over his stay in Foxborough. He averaged 12 yards on 23 punt runbacks during the 2015 season, best among qualified returners that season, and previously broke out for a league-best 1,618 total kick return yards while repping the St. Louis Rams in 2009.

Amendola is one of several renowned Patriots appearing in the ongoing Apple TV+ docuseries “The Dynasty,” which centers on the franchise’s unprecedented run of success in the early stages of the new century.