Logan Mankins Will Sign Tender, Report To Patriots On Tuesday

In a story that has been completely overlooked due to the drama of Randy Moss over the fast few weeks, Patriots guard Logan Mankins will sign his restricted free agent tender and will report to the Patriots tomorrow, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on ESPN during Monday Night Football’s haltime show.

Should the Patriots and their fans welcome back Mankins with open arms now that his holdout is over? According to Pats Pulpit, absolutely:

Absolutely. The fact that Mankins is signing the tender three weeks early tells me that he actually wants to come in a play football. This has to be good news from the Patriots’ standpoint. Assuming that Patriots management is on board with Mankins coming back (and I’m not sure what say they have in it, considering that they didn’t rescind the tender), having Mankins can only be a positive thing for the Patriots.

Logan Mankins, like Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, has not signed his restricted free agent tender therefore is not under contract.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Mankins has been advised by the NFLPA to sign his tender and report to the Patriots by Nov. 16. The timing is important because Mankins needs to be on the roster six regular season games in order to accrue another season to free agency.

Mankins, like Jackson, was supposed to become a free agent this year. But, with the cap-less season, the minimum service time required for free agency rose from four to six years. This way if Mankins reports he can accrue another season and (hopefully for him) become an unrestricted free agent next year.

All parties involved declined comment.

Check out Pats Pulpit for more on the Logan Mankins situation.

ESPN's Adam Schefter adds another bizarre detail to Logan Mankins' extended holdout from the Patriots: apparently, the two sides were close to a deal two weeks ago, when the Patriots asked for a public apology from Mankins.

Shortly before the deal could be consummated, the Patriots asked Mankins to apologize to Patriots owner Robert Kraft for comments he made in June, questioning the New England owner’s integrity. Mankins did. He called Kraft, apologized and explained why he spoke out in the way he did. It was a nice conversation and it paved the way for Mankins’ long-term deal to be consummated.

Then, about 90 minutes later, just before finalizing the deal, the Patriots requested Mankins issue a public apology. Not only did Mankins refuse, but he became offended, according to sources. The optimism that had been built, the momentum that the talks had generated completed collapsed -- and even regressed.

It's no surprise that the Patriots, one of the more ideologically steadfast organizations in the NFL, would be so demanding. But it's also not a stunner that Mankins refused to kowtow to their wishes.

But both the Patriots and Mankins must have prepared for a divorce. Why else would the team risk not having him on the field by asking him to bend to their whims, and why else would Mankins draw a line in the sand over an apology when millions were at stake?

The Logan Mankins holdout has officially begun.

The two-time Pro Bowler skipped the start of the Patriots minicamp, which began today, the Associated Press reports.

On Monday, Mankins told Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston that he wanted to be traded. Bill Belichick declined to answer whether Mankins had made his request to the team (as well as publicly).

So now we wait. If Mankins holds true to his word, he won't be signing the Patriots reduced tender offer and won't be attending training camp.

For more on the Pats and the Mankins situation, check out SB Nation's Pats Pulpit.

In the least surprising news of the day, Patriots coach Bill Belichick declined to discuss Logan Mankins trade request, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Asked how big of a concern it was to him that a stalwart player like Mankins asked to be traded, Belichick said: “Right now, I’m focused on coaching the players that are here, get things done, and hopefully have a good practice today. That’s where our emphasis is, the guys that are here.” Asked to characterize the situation, Belichick said that all talks would stay between the player and the club. He repeated that multiple times.

Belichick never talks about this sort of stuff so it's not surprising that he didn't today. Mankins did take some pretty heavy shots at the Patriots brass indicating at one point that owner Robert Kraft reneged on a promise to give him a new deal after the 2009 season.

For more on the Mankins trade request. check out SB Nation's Pats Pulpit.

The Patriots had an offer on the table to Logan Mankins before he requested a trade on Monday, according to Albert Breer of the Boston Globe.

The total value of the deal, Breer reports, was $35 million over five years for an average of $7 million per year.

That's close -- but not equal -- to the $8.1 million standard Saints guard Jahri Evans set this offseason.

Both Mankins and Evans were restricted free agents and both have been to two Pro Bowls so it's reasonable for them to expect similar numbers.

So the Pats offered a number close to but not the same as Mankins perceived value on the open market. Sounds like this impasse could go on for a while.

Though it doesn't seem to matter now that he says he won't sign but the Patriots did indeed reduce Mankins tender to 110% of his 2009 salary, according to league rules.

For more on the Pats, check out SB Nation's Pats Pulpit.