Logan Mankins was traded by the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tuesday in exchange for tight end Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick.
Considering the season is so close to starting and the Patriots are Super Bowl contenders, many have wondered what motivated them to deal the six-time Pro Bowler. Apparently it was a money issue.
NFL reporter Jason Cole says Mankins refused to take a pay cut from the $6.25 million he was set to earn this season. Cole says the Pats first approached Mankins about taking a pay cut after the Pro Bowl and then again before they ultimately traded him.
The trade may weaken the Patriots up front in the immediate future, though they believe they have enough interior linemen to shuffle things and be fine. Plus they’re getting a promising tight end — Wright caught 54 passes for 571 yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie last season — a fourth-round pick, and some cap relief, which Del surmised could be used to sign Darrelle Revis long term. You know how much they love to run double tight end sets, so maybe they figure they’ll be able to do that with Wright and Rob Gronkowski.
Mankins is due $6.75 million each of the next two seasons after signing a 6-year, $51 million deal prior to the 2011 season.
