During halftime of Monday Night Football, after detailing the Randy Moss situation, ESPN's Adam Schefter added that on Tuesday, Logan Mankins is expected to sign his tender and report to the Patriots. Mankins will sign his restricted free agent tender worth $1.54 million, originally offered to him on June 14. The report has been confirmed by the Herald's Ian Rapoport.
It's not surprising that Mankins decided to finally show up, but what is surprising is that he's doing it so relatively soon -- it was expected he would wait until the Nov. 16 deadline before reporting, and play only the final six weeks. If he had failed to sign by then, he stood to lose a year of service in the NFL. Now, he stands to become an unrestricted free agent in 2011 (assuming there is an NFL season), provided the Patriots do not franchise him in February.
Back on June 14, Mankins said he refused to sign the tender because owner Robert Kraft had gone back on his promise of making him the highest paid lineman in the league, saying, "At this point, I'm pretty frustrated, from everything that's happened and the way negotiations have gone. I want to be traded. I don't need to be here any more."
Mankins is already in Foxboro, according to the Globe's Monique Walker. Once he signs the RFA, Mankins is free to play as soon as the Patriots deem him ready, which could be as soon as Sunday, when New England plays at Cleveland.
The addition of Mankins for the final months of the season will give the Patriots some great depth along the offensive line.