FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots' locker room was all smiles Wednesday, as the players welcomed left guard Logan Mankins back into the facility.
Mankins has been a very popular member of the team and spent some time playing golf and going to dinner with his Patriots teammates, despite not signing his restricted free-agent tender until Tuesday.
"He's a friend of mine, so we'd talk," center Dan Koppen said. "He was around, so it was one of those things where his situation was his situation, and it didn’t affect any of our friendships or anything like that in the locker room. You just stay in touch with your friends. There was contact, obviously, from a lot of guys, but he's a good guy, so that’s not shocking."
Mankins, who was proudly rocking a Fu Manchu, was an instant hit with his long-time friends, and it sounded like his return to Gillette Stadium was seamless.
"He's back now, so that’s a good thing for us, a good thing for this offense, and we'll see where it goes," left tackle Matt Light said.
Obviously, Mankins' off-field presence is always welcomed by his teammates, but his on-field performance will be a nice addition to the 6-1 Patriots. Particularly, quarterback Tom Brady is glad to have a friend and bodyguard back in the business.
"It’s great, it’s great," Brady said. "He’s such a great guy. He’s a great player. He's coming in with a great attitude. I’ve had a chance to talk to him over the last few months. He’s been a great contributor to this team and to this organization. You can never have too many great football players or too many great teammates, so it’s great to have him back."
