When it comes to the contract situation between the Patriots and guard Logan Mankins, it appears very little has changed.
 One has to wonder if Mankins and his agent can ever find common ground with the Patriots to keep him in New England. (PHOTO:Icon/SMI) |
His agent, Frank Bauer, believes his client deserves one thing, and it seems that the two sides remain locked in a stalemate without an agreement on a long-term deal.
Meanwhile Mankins has been hit with the franchise tag, worth $10.1 million for next eason. At this point he's one of the few players who have been given the designation who hasn't signed the tender, all while the clock begins to tick down on a date that could end his chance at guaranteed money in a year that doesn't even guarantee a season.
Ian Rapoport and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald happened to catch Bauer on Thursday after he came up empty trying to grab coffee at a Starbucks at the Westin. Their conversation didn't go well, and his comments were interesting.
"Everything with New England is built on leverage and using the system. Everything is leverage," Bauer said. "This is one of the greatest guards they've had in the history of the place . . . John Hannah was the other one. I think it's a travesty what they've done to the kid. There's a lot of people in the NFL going, 'How do you treat one of your great players this way."
It's interesting that Robert Kraft has repeatedly said that he wants to reach a deal with the Pro Bowl guard, yet it seems that the two sides can't seem to find common ground. It sounded by the tone of the release that the goal was to reach a long-term deal and keep him in New England.
"Logan Mankins is a tremendous player…and he remains an important part of our future plans," read the release. "Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach a long-term agreement, despite many attempts and proposals by both sides. That remains our objective in utilizing the franchise designation and we are hopeful that Logan will be a Patriot for many years to come."
It sounds like they're pretty determined to get something done, and while Mankins was tagged, the Patriots gave him the non-exclusive designation - which allows them to seek out a trade with another team.
For now it sounds like Bauer and Mankins are trying to explore their options before the clock ticks down and the deadline arrives on what appears to be an inevitable lockout.
"We're working on it. We're thinking about it," Bauer told them when asked 'what's next' for he and his client.
They say there's more to come in tomorrow's Herald. We'll have to see if there's something else that was said that can give us a clue as to where this may be headed.
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