Mankins Departure Ends A Tumultuous Last Few Seasons
 Tom Brady lost Logan Mankins but gained a tight end following Tuesday's transaction. (USA TODAY Images) |
In the NFL, business always ultimately wins out and what transpired on Tuesday was another good example after the Patriots sent offensive guard Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay in a surprising trade.
Truthfully, it's a move that wasn't surprising. The team hit the free agency market back in March with around $15 million in salary cap space and needed to create additional room, which lead to the team seeking cap relief from players that also included Vince Wilfork. That created a contentious situation that fortunately was ultimately resolved.
However, Mankins, who had a big cap hit ($10.5 million) heading into 2014, dug his heels in again and rebuffed the idea of reworking his deal. The veteran said via a source of Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald that if the team had looked his way to rework his current deal, he reportedly said, "It's not going to happen."
It's not a shock given the rough negotiations during his last contract that saw him hold out in 2010 following his restricted free agent tender, which at the time was worth $3.26 million. He refused to sign the deal due to a change in the collective bargaining agreement that kept him from becoming a free agent. In June Mankins even told Mike Reiss he wanted to be traded.
“I want to be traded,” Mankins told Reiss. “I don’t need to be here any more.”
“This is about principle with me and keeping your word and how you treat people.”
That lead to a holdout which saw him sit out the first eight weeks of the season. He ultimately signed the tender, which was reduced to $1.54 million and reported in November.
That year saw Dan Connolly, who is still on the roster, fill in for him over that span as the team started 6-1. They also allowed just 12 sacks with Connolly filling in.
 There were certainly some difficult times between Mankins and the Patriots during his tenure in New England. (USA TODAY Images) |
The team then franchised Mankins in 2011 and things got a little ugly during the negotiations. Mankins eventually gave in and signed his one-year, $10.1 million contract at the end of July but weeks later agreed on a six-year contract extension that closed the book on those hard feelings and brought him to where he is today.
There was never a story regarding any issue with Mankins following the Herald report from earlier this year, which seemingly would have led most to believe that he would have been on the opening day roster despite the financial implications.
However, the Patriots have contracts to extend (Devin McCourty, Shane Vereen, Nate Solder, Matthew Slater, among others) and the money will have to come from somewhere. Mankins, who is slated to earn $6.25 million this year and $6.75 million in 2015 and 2016, didn't seem interested in working with the team to help provide any financial relief. As a result, Tuesday's trade to Tampa Bay seems to be more of a business decision for both sides.
They already have a host of depth on the offensive line, with a deep group that should allow them to survive his absence. Meanwhile, the team adds a player in tight end Tim Wright who can provide them production at that position, which they desperately needed. In the event Rob Gronkowski suffers any setbacks or Michael Hoomanawanui gets hurt, they have a player who caught 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie season and seems like he could potentially overtake Hoomanwanui on the depth chart.
In a statement released by the club last night Bill Belichick admitted that Mankins was "everything we would ever want in a football player", but like past decisions, the overall health of the team was their top priority.
“Logan Mankins is everything we would ever want in a football player," wrote Belichick. "It is hard to imagine a better player at his position, a tougher competitor or a person to represent our program. He is one of the all-time great Patriots and the best guard I ever coached. Logan brought a quiet but unmistakable presence and leadership that will be impossible to duplicate. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when difficult decisions have to be made -- and this is one of the most difficult we will ever make -- but like every other decision it was made for what we feel is in the best interests of the team.”
That apparently means they feel they're better off without him. Hopefully Wright helps Brady forget about the fact he'll no longer have Mankins in the huddle or on the line to his left this season, and that the money they saved will help keep the rest of this group together in the years to come.
