BOSTON — Left guard Logan Mankins really doesn't know if he wants to remain a member of the Patriots any longer.
"I've thought about that," Mankins said Tuesday. "I don't know. I'm not going to put any answers out there on that right now. I'll wait until there is a season in progress before I decide."
Mankins has been involved in a contract spat with the Patriots for more than a year, and the team placed the franchise tag on him in February. However, there's still no clear answer as to whether or not the franchise tag will stay in place after the resolution of the labor dispute.
Mankins, who appeared at Matt Light's charity event on Tuesday morning at the Liberty Hotel in Boston, was a restricted free agent in 2010 and sat out seven games to display his displeasure with a lack of a contract extension. It's believed the sides are still very far apart in those negotiations, which were put on hold during the lockout.
"I've heard there's this thing in football called free agency, but it's been two years now and I haven't seen it," Mankins said. "Maybe one of these days I could actually experience it. That's the rumor."
Mankins has remained in the Foxboro area to work out with his close friends on the team. While he was noncommittal about his desire to remain with the franchise, he was defensive over his spot on the team's depth chart when asked how he'd feel if the Patriots selected a guard in the draft.
"I don't care who they draft," Mankins said. "They could draft three guards for all I care. They've still got to beat me out. Or if they release me, someone will pay me to play for them. I'm not too worried about that."
