Patriots Send Letter To Logan Mankins Notifying Him Of Salary Reduction

What does that mean? Mankins was tendered at the highest level, meaning he will make $3.268 million for the coming season if he signs before the deadline. If he does not, 110 percent of his salary from last year, the final year of the rookie contract he signed after the Patriots made him the 32d overall pick in 2005, equals $1.54 million.

So the 28-year old Californian stands to lose $1.728 million.

So this is a move that could create some acrimony between Mankins and the team, right? Not so, says Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, who calls the letter a "procedural matter".

It is highly unlikely that a team would take the step of reducing a restricted free agent's salary because of the damage that could do to the long-term relationship between the player and team.

What to expect? Some think Mankins will sign the tender and report to the Patriots offseason. That's just a guess but it doesn't make much sense for him to hold out any longer and take the risk of losing that $1.728 million.

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