Time and money heals all contract-related wounds.
And as time wears on with All Pro guard Logan Mankins still in the Patriots organization, the more likely it appears he could stay with the team a long time.
Mankins sounded more open to staying with the team recently. And Patriots coach Bill Belichick was on NFL Network Sunday night singing Mankins’ praises as the No. 39 player in the league.
“There are tough players and then there are the super tough guys. I’d say Mankins would go into that [second] category. Both physically and mentally, he’s as tough as they come,” Belichick said via ESPNBoston.com.
As we noted earlier Monday, everything Belichick does through the press is well thought out. Belichick could have presented other Patriots on the list, but he wound up with Mankins.
“You could honestly pick out any one of 30 plays of him in any game and find him really dominating guys,” Belichick said.
Belichick knows Mankins’ value. That’s why the team is willing to pay him more than $10 million this season, and why we suspect a long-term deal will happen eventually despite all the drama that has happened between the two sides.