Mankins Will Report By November 16th
Chris Mortenson of ESPN reported Wednesday night that Patriots guard Logan Mankins will report by November 16th, and plans on participating in the final seven games of the season.
The news isn't that big of a surprise, as Mankins wouldn't be able to accrue a year of service without doing so in order to move on to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The interesting part of the report is the fact that he's apparently being advised by the Players Association to report, after the NFLPA got clarification on a conflict between the labor agreement and the current CBA on the reporting dates regarding both he, and Chargers wide reciever Vincent Jackson's thanks to their current situations with their respective teams.
"Yes, that's correct," confirmed NFL spokesman Greg Aiello via email to Chris Mortenson. "In the CBA, a restricted free agent has the right to accept his tender and report to the club any time up until the Tuesday after week 10 (Nov. 16, 4 p.m. ET) of the regular season, whether or not the club requests or agrees to his reporting."
Mortenson also points out that Mankins can be traded by Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline if he's willing to sign his contract tender.
