Vincent Jackson, Logan Mankins Demand Free Agency for 2011

According to Yahoo! Sports, citing unknown sources, the agents of San Diego Chargers WR Vincent Jackson and New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins are demanding their clients be unrestricted free agents this upcoming season or that they receive $10 million payments as a result of the Brady vs. NFL antitrust lawsuit.

The Brady lawsuit is one of the few things that need to be resolved before the NFL and its players can agree to a new collective bargaining agreement. One league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that he doubted the reported issue would hold up a settlement, however.

"Is Vincent Jackson going to hold up the NFL season for 1,900 players, the clubs and the fans? Too smart a guy for that," the source told Schefter.

Jackson has had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2008 and 2009.

Jackson's original five-year contract ended after the 2009 season. San Diego did not offer him a long term deal causing some frustration for Jackson. He then refused to sign a $3,268,000, one-year deal as a restricted free agent in 2010. He sat out his first seven games, then reported and served a three-game suspension on the roster exempt list.

Jackson was on the active roster for the final six games to accrue a season toward unrestricted free agency. But when Jackson hadn't signed the tender by June 15, the Chargers had slashed their offer to 110 percent of his 2009 salary, or $583,000. Due to the games he missed, he made less than $300,000 in 2010.

With Jackson not seeking a future in San Diego, be on the lookout for the Chargers to possibly make a deal with upcoming free agent Randy Moss who would be a perfect match with Philip Rivers' spiraling long ball.  

Mankins was a first-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2005 and had been to three Pro Bowls, including 2010, despite missing the first seven games due to a prolonged holdout.

According to ESPN, Mankins was a restricted free agent—a result of the NFL's going from a salary-cap system to an uncapped year in 2010—but did not sign his $3.26 million tender.

That led to an extended standoff, with Mankins not reporting until the eighth game of the season. The Patriots sliced his tender to $1.54 million, which was prorated over the final nine games of the season.