The New England Patriots are parting with their All-Pro left guard.
The Patriots are trading Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for tight end Tim Wright and an undisclosed draft pick, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Tuesday. Mankins had a $10.5 million salary-cap hit for the 2014 season, and his contract ran through 2016.
The pick will be a 2015 fourth-rounder, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
UPDATE (2:40 p.m.): The Buccaneers confirmed the trade Tuesday afternoon but did not specify which draft pick the Patriots will receive.
Wright went undrafted out of Rutgers in 2013, but he caught 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns last season with the Buccaneers.
Mankins was picked by the Patriots 32nd overall in the 2005 NFL draft. He has been named to six Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. Mankins, a captain, started all 16 games in 2013, including one at left tackle.
Mankins’ skills appeared to be declining at age 32, but the move still comes as a major surprise, since the Patriots have had issues on their offensive line during the preseason.
UPDATE (3:50 p.m.): The Patriots confirmed the trade and said they received a fourth-round pick, along with Wright, for Mankins.
“Logan Mankins is everything we would ever want in a football player,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement released by the team. “It is hard to imagine a better player at his position, a tougher competitor or a person to represent our program. He is one of the all-time great Patriots and the best guard I ever coached.
“Logan brought a quiet but unmistakable presence and leadership that will be impossible to duplicate. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when difficult decisions have to be made — and this is one of the most difficult we will ever make — but like every other decision it was made for what we feel is in the best interests of the team.”
Photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
