Logan Mankins admits there were contract issues

Brian Blanco/AP

The Patriots shocked their fans when they traded Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for tight end Tim Wright and a draft pick on Tuesday. In his first conversation with the media before Tampa's preseason game against the Washington Redskins tonight, Mankins said that he has no ill will toward the Patriots, but understands the business side.

Per the Providence Journal:

“I had a lot of great [memories]. It’s a place I’ll always remember,” Mankins said. “I have nothing bad to say about New England. I love that place. I’m moving on, and I’m a Buc now.”

He also said he's been in touch with most of his ex-teammates, who were also shocked by the news of the trade, and not happy about it, apparently. But the money the Patriots saved ($10.5 mil this year, $11 mil next year) was too much for the Patriots to ignore, and Mankins said he couldn't reach common ground with the organization.

“I’ve talked to Tom. I’ve talked to probably 99 percent of the team. I’m not going to get into what we said,” Mankins said. “I’ll miss Tom for sure, and I’ll miss a lot of those guys. I had a lot of good friends, a lot of coaches I was good friends with.”

“We had discussions,” Mankins said. “We just couldn’t come to a common ground.”

Mankins will be tough to replace for sure - you don't find a 5-time Pro Bowl caliber guard every day. I just hope Josh Kline is up to the task. Tom Brady will have to be upright and completing passes for the Patriots to have success, and that boils down to strong protection, and the Pats just gave up one of the best in the biz at protecting the QB.