Report: Patriots looking at Amendola

The Patriots chose not to franchise Wes Welker (or anyone, for that matter) on Monday, but that doesnt mean they dont have a plan at slot receiver if Welker is not a Patriot next season. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Pats have a replacement in mind in Danny Amendola. Florio, who was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday morning, hinted that the Pats plan to sign Amendola next week. "The Patriots need to work something out by next Tuesday," Florio said. "The problem is they couldnt franchise Welker because it would cost them 11.4 million to keep him around. "The ace in the hole for the Patriots is Danny Amendola." Amendola caught 63 passes for 666 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games in an injury-shortened 2012. "He's the slot receiver from the Rams, several years younger than Welker, and hes had plenty of injuries, but hes one of the toughest players in the NFL," Florio explained. "It could be that the Patriots already have plans and tamperings not supposed to be happening. but every team is doing it. But they may already have an understanding that on the first day of free agency, theyre going to ink Danny Amendola to replace Wes Welker, which would make a lot of sense if thats what they do. "The Rams couldnt justify putting the franchise tag on Amendola because, for a slot receiver, to pay him 10 million, you just cant justify paying him that much money, but its an important position to take care of. It wouldnt surprise me at all if Amendola is a Patriot next Tuesday."