Personally I think they will re-work Amendola’s deal and keep him around. It’s just not cost effective to cut him. But I think your question is a good one and it feeds into something I’ve touched on a couple times this offseason – the competition between Amendola and Wright.
I think the Patriots 2015 offense could be defined by who the Pats see as the better player. That translates to whether or not they’re in 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE) or 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE) most of the time.
Essentially, will they be the 2011 offense or will they be the 2014 offense. Each has its advantages, but I think in an ideal world, they’d lead towards wanting to be a 12 personnel heavy team because it makes it a little more difficult to defend because you have a heavier fifth weapon who can block in the running game more effectively than a receiver like Amendola can.
That said, I think there’s still a spot for both of these guys on the roster and for the offense. But I’ll be watching both closely this summer.