New England Patriots: Logan Mankins "32 Teams In Play"

 One of the biggest areas of concern for the New England Patriots entering this offseason is the left-side of the offensive line. Both tackle and guard, Matt Light and Logan Mankins, are un-restricted free agents. 

Out of the two players, Mankins is at the peak of his career while Light has been on a relative decline. 

Mankins only played nine games last season due to a contract holdout, but when he played, he made a huge difference; he even made the Pro Bowl with just nine games played. 

While all of the Pro Bowl players practice in Hawaii, the media is there to bombard them with their usual questions. For Mankins, it's all about his contract situation. 

"There’s 32 teams in play," Mankins told the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian.

Mankins went on to tell Guregian, "Whatever one I feel is the best situation for me."

When Mankins was asked about the possibility of returning to the Patriots, he went on to say, "There's always a possibility. But to tell you the truth, I haven't given it much thought right now. If there was a CBA, I'm sure I'd be thinking about it a lot more." 

And Mankins is right; the current CBA is set to expire in March, and there will be likely no free agent transactions until a new CBA is agreed upon. 

Once there is a new CBA, New England needs to do whatever it takes to re-sign Mankins. He is a cornerstone of the team's offense, and arguably the best left guard in the NFL. 

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net.

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