Often the patriots extend contracts with a year left on the contract. This siuation started last offseason. I think that the patriots knew then and now that they would not be interested in giving Mankins a contract that he would want to accept. Mankins wanted top dollar after a reasonable rookie contract. This doesn't seem to fit in to the patriot budget. The patriots lucked out and there was no CBA extension, so they have RFA rights to Mankins.
The patriots and Mankins had discussions over a year ago. We don't know the details, only that Mankins thought that the patriots would indeed come up with an acceptable contract. There was absolutely no reason to trust the word of management. The nfl is a business after all.
Mankins watched lots of folks get extensions and new contracts. He thought that he was valuable to the team and waited as Kraft had asked. He waited through the 2009 offseason and season (some like Seymour and Branch made there move at that point in their contracts). He waited through the 2010 offseason up until the draft. Of course no one made offers under the RFA (no one ever does; isn't collusion great). The patriots didn't draft a guard and had him wait some more. He waited some more.
And the time finally came for the patriots to give him an offer and the patriots did not come up with what Mankins expected, or anywhere near what he expected (I expect tha the biggest issue is guaranteed money) . The problem is that Mankins expected much more from the patriots and was disappointed. And then the patriots chose to reduce their 2010 offer to $1.5M. This was the CHOICE of the patriots. They could have left the original tender offer on the table. The patriot undertand that the chances of Mankins playing the 2010 season as he has played the last four after the current offer is exactly ZERO. The patriots understand that there will be some reaction and loss of practice, games and effort from Mankins if he plays for $200K per game. The patriots made their choice. And the situation is now clear.
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Mankins was disappointed and pi$$ed off. He should have known better. Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't. In any case, talking to the public doesn't seem at all an unreasonable tactic at this point.
The probability of his being traded and having a better long term contract seems much more likely than before his public statements.
It is just that we posters need to understand that Mankins will get his contract elsewhere, this year or next. WE POSTERS should ahve understood that for at least a year. It is only the lack of a CBA extension that give us any reason to have Mankins on the team for one year. There was always little chance beyond that. There are teams willing to pay $8M a year for a guard and give him considerable guaranteed monies. The patriots are not one of those teams.
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The very sad bottom line is that we discussed this over a year ago. It seemed then and now that it was very unlikely that the patriots would pay the "outrageous" amounts that Mankins might get from some other team. It seemed likely then and now that Mankins would go somewhere else in 2011. The ONLY question, then and now, was whether the patriots would come to a one year accomodation with Mankins or whether they would trade him. That is still an open question.
Posters here seem not to understand the basic negotiation tactics within the NFL. Mankins is using one of the only tactics at his disposal at this point, after the threat of a reduction in tender offer.
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THE REALITY
Mankins has no contract. He doesn't want to play for the patriots long-term, given the value the patriots put on him. And the patriots offer for one year is $1.5M. The patriots have made their position clear.
And everyone here is upset when Mankins has chosen to do the same. Unless there is special 2010 CBA rule (which someone thinks there is), we can expect to see Mankins on the Practrice field after the 2010 trade deadline. If he needs to report earlier he will, and will then later walk out or not participate in other ways).
No one seems upset with the patriots for trying to get Mankins for $1.5M for his 2010 services. And we shouldn't be upset. The team thought it was worth a try. Perhaps Mankins is really a no-nothing farm boy and the "big" city rubes from Bosten can get him to play at an all-pro level for $1.5M for his last year. And then again, perhaps Mankins has an agent, a union, and better advice then to be in camp now, agreeing to play for $1.5M (or even $3.4M) for the 2010 season.
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Almost all? Don't think so. I appreciate Mankins' on-field performance for the team and can understand his frustration. What IS disappointing is his insulting, irresponsible, and destructive comments. IF Mankins actually wanted to be traded, the process could have been more easily facilitated if he had chosen to keep his comments private and communicate to the organization through proper channels. As one who has dealt with contract negotiations in the business world for many years, his negotiating team, i.e., agent, never should have left his client psychologically unprepared to adequately deal with the apparent current impasse. Now, in order to effect a solution, both sides have to repair the damage done before even beginning to resolve what was the primary objective, addressing Mankins' contract issues. My impression of the man was that he seemed to be relatively mature and thoughtful in his approach with the media, so , in that regard, his comments were disappointing.
