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Logan Mankins

Tom Brady Talks Mankins, Pats, Future

September 2nd, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last week suggested that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wasn’t too happy with the team’s decision to trade Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to the Buccaneers with less than two weeks until the regular season got underway. Appearing on WEEI this morning, Brady didn’t deny being upset, though his comments indicated that he has already moved past it. Here are the highlights from Brady’s radio appearance (links via ESPN.com):

On Mankins’ departure:

“I love Logan. Logan was a great friend of mine. Nobody stood for Patriots football more than him. … I dealt with whatever feelings I had last week, but I’ve moved on. I have to move on, because that’s what this team expects me to do.”

On whether it has gotten any easier to rationalize how the business side of the NFL works:

“Absolutely not. I’m a very person-to-person type of person, a very emotional person. I don’t think those things have ever gotten easier for me. I don’t think they ever will. But you have to come to grips with it also, and learn to deal with things in a mature way. We, as players, it’s the business side of things. We’re out there to play, we’re not out there to run businesses. We’re there to enjoy the camaraderie with our teammates, enjoy the playing experience with our teammates, and play for one another. And you deal with whatever comes up and then you move forward. I think that’s part of the sport. … I know it’s going to happen next year too, I know it’s going to happen the year after that, the year after that. For as long as you continue playing, you’re going to be dealing with this.”

On the possibility of staying with the Patriots for the rest of his career:

“There’s nowhere I’d rather play, I know that. I love playing for this team and I love representing this team and hopefully I can do that for as long as I can. When I suck, I’ll retire, but I don’t plan on sucking for a long time. So hopefully that leads me to being here and there’s no place I’d rather be.”

On considering retirement and weighing how long to continue his career:

“You know, you’re expected in this business to perform. That’s what football is about. This is not a personality contest. This is a very highly competitive game where your physical skill set and what it means to the team, they place a value on that. If that value fits within the range, then great. If it doesn’t, they don’t want you and then you go somewhere else to play. Once no one else wants you, or you don’t want to play anymore, that’s when you retire. Some guys make the decision to retire early. So I like working hard at it and I’m going to try to be the best I can be for as long as I can be that. Hopefully the team values that and if they don’t, then I’ll probably have a tough day at some point. But that’s what football is all about.”

NFC Notes: Mankins, Eagles, 49ers, Bears

August 29th, 2014 at 3:53pm CST by Zachary Links

At his introductory press conference, new Buccaneers guard Logan Mankins admitted that he has a lot of work to do (via Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald). “It’s going to be tough, we have a week before the first game and I’m going to take it in stride. I’ve got all weekend to try and get down some of the mental part of it and then all next week at practice. I’m sure the guys are going to help me as much as possible and I’m going to try my best to be up to speed with those guys, I don’t know if it will happen, but I’m shooting for it,” said the veteran. More from around the NFL:

  • Having recently been cut by the Bills, quarterback Thad Lewis had an audition for the Eagles, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
  • Blaine Gabbert looked shaky in the 49ers‘ preseason finale while Josh Johnson has looked good over the last few weeks, which could prompt the club to carry three quarterbacks, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. Gabbert, who has a $2MM guaranteed salary, won’t be going anywhere, but SF might want to have Johnson in place as a failsafe.
  • 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh sounds intent on keeping quarterback Johnson in addition to Gabbert, writes Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. However, he won’t commit to putting Johnson ahead of Gabbert on the depth chart, despite the former first-round pick’s struggles.
  • After giving himself a “B+” grade for his Thursday night performance, Michael Sam believes that he’ll be on an NFL roster somewhere, even if it’s not with the Rams, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I’m very confident,” Sam said. “I’m going to sleep really well tonight and I’m very confident I’m going to be on a team, the Rams or any other team in the NFL.”
  • Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times believes that Matthew Mulligan will have a spot on the Bears‘ roster as the tight end behind Martellus Bennett and Dante Rosario thanks to his blocking ability. The injury to Zach Miller opened the door for Mulligan, who is a solid blocker.
  • The Bears have done their homework on long snappers and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) hears that they worked out four long snappers last week. Currently, Brandon Hartson has the job in Chicago.
  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that he has met face-to-face with Dez Bryant, something he doesn’t do with every player who is seeking a new deal, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “We have had good visits,” Jones said. “It’s a little different to be talking directly, for me to be talking directly with the player. I know of two that I’ve spent a lot of time directly talking with in some pretty sensitive areas when you’re talking about money. We all understand what that means. One of them Michael Irvin. He asked me to induct him into the Hall of Fame later and Emmitt Smith, he asked me to induct him into the Hall of Fame later. Troy [Aikman] always had Leigh Steinberg there, but we kind of talked straight in there together.”

Extra Points: Redskins, Titans, Mankins

August 27th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Zachary Links

In an interview with CSN Washington, Redskins owner Dan Snyder said that he’s looking into a new home for his team. “Whether it’s Washington, D.C., whether it’s another stadium in Maryland, whether it’s a stadium in Virginia, we’ve started the process,” Snyder said. The new stadium, he says, could be built with RFK Stadium’s design in mind. Before the opening of FedEx Field in 1997, the Skins played at RFK, which opened in 1961. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley worked out for the Titans today, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The Titans are also reportedly looking at ex-Cardinals kicker Jay Feely as well as Rian Lindell. Maikon Bonani currently sits at the top of the team’s depth chart, but he has yet to attempt a regular-season NFL kick. Despite working out three veteran kickers today, Wyatt (on Twitter) still believes the Titans would rather keep Bonani or Travis Coons.
  • The Bucs initially called the Patriots with an eye on acquiring a backup guard, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The Pats followed up by expressing their interest in tight end Tim Wright and soon after, the two sides started discussing Logan Mankins. While Mankins is obviously the bigger name of the two, Wright is expected by some to play a key role in the Pats’ offense this season.
  • Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is disappointed that his team has been penalized for excessive physical contact in a June minicamp, writes The Associated Press. “We don’t want to do things wrong,” Carroll said following practice Wednesday. “We want to do things right. I’d like to show exactly how to do it. When you’re competing like we do, we’re trying to do things the best you can possibly do it. Unfortunately, this incident makes it look otherwise.”

AFC East Notes: Pats, Mankins, Wright, Hill

August 26th, 2014 at 10:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Two sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) that the Patriots asked guard Logan Mankins to take a pay cut before today’s trade sending him to the Buccaneers. Mankins gave the club the same answer as when they asked him right after last season’s Pro Bowl: No. Here’s more from the AFC East..

  • The Patriots were interested in trading for tight end Tim Wright for two weeks now, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Pats got their man earlier today in a deal that sent Mankins to Tampa Bay.
  • Former second round pick Stephen Hill has been having trouble dropping the ball and Jets coach Rex Ryan isn’t giving him much of an endorsement, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “He’s had some strong moments, but there are others where we wish maybe he had hung on to a ball or so,” Ryan said. “But he’s had a pretty good training camp. I don’t want to say it’s been outstanding, but it’s been pretty good. “He’s blocked consistently, but he just hasn’t had a lot of shots at catching the ball. We’re still evaluating that receiving group, and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
  • Free agent addition Earl Mitchell is already looking like a gem for the Dolphins, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. The defensive lineman signed a four-year deal with Miami early in free agency. Mitchell is smaller than the departed Paul Soliai, but he’s shown that he can be rather effective.

Bucs Acquire Logan Mankins From Pats

August 26th, 2014 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

1:03pm: The Pats will receive Tampa Bay’s fourth-round pick for 2015 in the deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the Bucs have officially confirmed the trade in a press release.

12:38pm: The Buccaneers and Patriots have reached an agreement on the parameters of a trade that will send Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay, reports Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter). In exchange for Mankins, the Pats will receive a future draft pick and tight end Tim Wright, says Glazer.Logan Mankins

After recently parting ways with another former Pro Bowler, Carl Nicks, the Buccaneers had been on the lookout for an upgrade at guard, where Oniel Cousins and Patrick Omameh were viewed as the team’s probable starters. Inserting Mankins into the starting lineup will immediately upgrade a Buccaneers line that also added Anthony Collins and Evan Dietrich-Smith in free agency this offseason. The move also likely means that the Bucs will no longer be in play for other notable free agents and trade candidates on the market, such as Richie Incognito and Alex Boone.

Additionally, although Wright was a pleasant surprise a year ago for Tampa Bay, the team fortified the tight end spot significantly this offseason, first signing Brandon Myers as a free agent, then selecting Austin Seferian-Jenkins with the 38th overall pick in the draft. So the team still has plenty of depth at the position.

While the move makes sense from the Bucs’ perspective, it’s somewhat surprising that New England would give up Mankins – who has earned spots in five straight Pro Bowls and six overall – less than two weeks before the regular season gets underway. Still, Bill Belichick and the Pats have shown in the past that they’re not afraid to move on from veteran players in the right deal, and at the right time.

We’ll have to wait and see what sort of pick New England lands in the trade, but in Wright, the Pats will add a talented young tight end who hauled in 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie season in 2013. With Rob Gronkowski‘s health once again not a certainty, it makes sense that the Pats would be interested in adding another promising pass-catcher at tight end.

With the 32-year-old Mankins no longer in the mix, the Pats figure to turn to a younger player like Marcus Cannon or Josh Kline as their starter at left guard. It’s also possible that the team will peruse the free agent market or the waiver wire for other options.

From a cap perspective, the Bucs will absorb Mankins’ $6.25MM base salary into their available space, while the Pats will carry $4MM in dead money in 2014 and $4MM in 2015, since the guard still had plenty of prorated bonus money left on his contract. As an undrafted free agent, Wright is on a minimum-salary deal with prorated bonus figures of about $3.3K per year, so his contract will hardly have an effect on either team’s books.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Beckham, Dolphins, Chiefs

April 19th, 2014 at 8:45pm CST by Peter Sowards

A source confirmed to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald today that the Dolphins will host LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham, using one one of the team’s 30 allotted non-local visits.

Beckham caught 59 passes for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013 for the Tigers and is projected as a first-round pick.

Does Beckham’s visit mean Miami is souring on Mike Wallace just one year into his contract? That’s the logic argued by Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, noting that Wallace wasn’t signed by current GM Dennis Hickey and that Hickey “probably” doesn’t have any intentions with Wallace beyond this season. Or, the Dolphins are just doing their due diligence and trying to find out as much about as many worthy draft-eligible prospects as possible.

More news and notes from the American Football Conference…

  • A position-by-position look at the Chiefs‘ cap situation by Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star, as well as each player’s base salary, cap number, Pro Football Focus grade and contract expiration date.
  • The Chiefs may need to be prepared to draft a quarterback with the No. 23 pick, Paylor writes.
  • Four Patriots — Brandon Browner, Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo — have an offseason workout bonus of $250K, and the team begins its offseason workouts on Monday, writes Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. 15 players are eligible to receive offseason workout bonuses if they participate in at least 80-90% of the workouts with a total possible payout of $1.74MM.

AFC East Notes: Wendell, Mankins, Dolphins

February 20th, 2014 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

As Thursday’s slate of head coach and general manager press conferences gets underway at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, let’s check in on a few updates out of the AFC East, including a certain Dolphins head coach finally breaking his silence on the Ted Wells report….

  • The Patriots have yet to enter negotiations with free agent center Ryan Wendell about a new deal or talk to Logan Mankins about an extension to reduce his cap number, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Volin adds in a second tweet that both players would likely be receptive to those talks.
  • Speaking to reporters at the combine today, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin indicated that no decisions have been made yet on whether the team will bring back players like Richie Incognito, John Jerry, and Mike Pouncey (Twitter link via Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe). While that may be true, it seems pretty clear that Incognito and Jerry, who are eligible for free agency, won’t be back.
  • Philbin also told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has reached out to Jonathan Martin and will meet with him. Philbin was noncommittal on Martin’s future with the club.