Logan Mankins Signs Franchise-Tag Tender with New England Patriots

New England Patriots offensive guard Logan Mankins has reportedly agreed to sign the franchise-tag tender that was offered to him prior to the lockout. 

Now that Mankins has accepted the franchise tender, he will now report to the team's training camp on time starting Thursday at Gillette Stadium. 

According to ESPN Boston's report, Mankins' agent Frank Bauer has stated that the Pro Bowl linemen is "happy to get started."

Mankins' agent then went onto to say that, "Early this morning, Logan spoke with (coach) Bill (Belichick) and both are very happy, happy to get started. Logan is looking forward to being with his teammates and coaches, with a fresh start," according to ESPN Boston. 

The one-year contract will pay Mankins a whopping $10.1 million after only raking in $1.54 million last season due to his contract dilemma and decision to holdout. 

As Mankins' agrees to the deal, only one can assume that Bill Belichick and the Patriots will likely engage in talks with Mankins and his agent regarding a potential long-term contract extension, as Mankins is arguably one of the best guards in the league.

However it's certainly encouraging for Patriots nation that Mankins will be reporting to training camp on time as the next few weeks of practice are going to be extremely critical due to the such shortened offseason. 

For more Patriots offseason news, check out PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter.