FOXBOROUGH — For the second straight year, receiver Danny Amendola has restructured his contract to stay with the Patriots.
Amendola’s new pact is for $7.35 million over two years with incentives and roster bonuses that can reach $750,000, according to Fox Sports.
Under his old deal, Amendola would have made $5 million in base salary and have a cap hit of $6.8 million in 2016. His 2017 base salary was set at $6 million.
“It’s an honor to play for this franchise and with this group of guys,’’ Amendola said in a statement to Fox Sports. “We have one goal — to win another championship and that’s all we care about.’’
Amendola cut his base salary from $4 million to $1.5 million last offseason.
Amendola has 146 catches for 1,481 yards and 6 touchdowns in his three seasons in New England. He is coming off his best season as a Patriot, with 65 catches for 648 yards and 3 TDs as he became one of Tom Brady’s most reliable options. He missed two games with a mild knee sprain.
He’s also an invaluable special teamer as a punt and kickoff returner, with his 82-yard punt return in the win over the Giants among the Patriots’ most electrifying plays of the season.
Iosefa released
Fullback/tailback hybrid Joey Iosefa was cut Friday. Iosefa split last season between the practice squad and active roster. He played in two games with 15 carries for 51 yards . . . Rookie defensive tackle Vincent Valentine signed a four-year, $3.03 million deal with a $645,420 signing bonus. He is the eighth Patriots draftee to ink a deal, joining Cyrus Jones, Joe Thuney, Malcolm Mitchell, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Elandon Roberts, Ted Karras, and Devin Lucien. Only third-rounder Jacoby Brissett remains unsigned . . . The team also announced the signings of undrafted rookies V’Angelo Bentley, Jonathan Jones, and Cre’Von LeBlanc (all defensive backs); tight ends Steven Scheu and Bryce Williams; running back D.J. Foster; defensive lineman Woodrow Hamilton; and linebacker C.J. Johnson . . . The rookies are in town for a three-day minicamp that began Friday . . . When introducing top pick Jones, team owner Robert Kraft said the cornerback (whom he called by his nickname “Clamp Clampington,’’ drawing some laughs) will wear No. 24, “a special number to our family . . . and there’s a lot of good karma that goes with that number.’’ When Jones was asked about the history of No. 24 in New England, he said “[There’s] definitely a lot of history. Guys like Ty Law, Darrelle Revis, great defensive backs and great players . . . and there’s definitely a legacy behind the number, and I want to make my own legacy with the number.’’ The 22-year-old can be forgiven for not mentioning Dwight Evans and Terry O’Reilly.
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
