Former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola announces retirement

BOSTON  -- Danny Amendola has called it a career. The former Patriots wide receiver who helped New England win two Super Bowls announced his retirement Monday night.

"It was better than I could have ever imagined," Amenodola said of his 13-year career to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who broke the news Monday night.

Amendola was one of Tom Brady's favorite targets over his five years in New England, hauling in 230 receptions for 12 touchdowns and 135 first downs between 2013-17. He was an even bigger factor in the postseason with some extremely clutch catches, scoring six touchdowns over 13 playoff games with New England.

Amendola had a pair of touchdowns in New England's wild comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round in 2015, including one off a pass by Julian Edelman. A few weeks later he hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Brady in Super Bowl XLIX, cutting New England's deficit to the Seattle Seahawks to 24-21 with eight minutes to play. The Patriots won that game 28-24 and Amendola earned his first ring.

He'd earn another ring -- and score another Super Bowl touchdown -- a few years later when the Patriots mounted their incredible comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Amendola snagged a six-yard pass from Brady to make it a 28-20 game with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Patriots capped off their 28-3 comeback with a 34-28 victory in overtime. 

"Loved Danny. He was a very good player for us and had a lot of skill," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Amendola on Tuesday. "Smart, tough, dependable. He was a really good football player and I'm glad we had him here. He was a big contributor while he was here with us... Good football player."

Amendola went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2008 and spent his first year in the NFL on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. He was on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad in 2009 before landing with the St. Louis Rams in 2010. He played four seasons with the Rams before signing with the Patriots.

After New England, Amendola played for the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans. He played sparingly in a limited role for the Texans last season.

Now Amendola, 36, is moving on, potentially to career in broadcasting, according to Schefter.