Like most of us, Logan Mankins admitted that he was surprised he was traded to the Buccaneers.
But the 32-year-old guard also spent enough time in New England to know that the Patriot Way is built on pragmatism as much as anything else, so swapping a big salary for a fourth-round draft pick and a spare tight end is the way they work.
“Once you’ve been around this business long enough, you know anything’s possible,” Mankins said, via Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. “It’s a business, first and foremost. If you don’t understand that it’s a business, you’re lying to yourself.”
Once the trade was finalized, Mankins called his now-former quarterback Tom Brady — who clearly was not pleased — to say his goodbyes.
“I’ll miss Tom for sure and I had a lot of good friends there,” Mankins said. “It’s a sad day not to be with those guys, but I’ve got new teammates here that I’m looking to develop relationships with.”
He was putting on a brave face for his new team, which is clearly in a different spot in the process as the Patriots are.
“They’ve had a little dry spell here, but I’ve looked at the roster and there’s some guys I’ve got a lot of respect for,” Mankins said.
But the Bucs are also not asking for any of his money back, and are grateful for the leadership and protection he has to offer.