Two sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) that the Patriots asked guard Logan Mankins to take a pay cut before today’s trade sending him to the Buccaneers. Mankins gave the club the same answer as when they asked him right after last season’s Pro Bowl: No. Here’s more from the AFC East..
- The Patriots were interested in trading for tight end Tim Wright for two weeks now, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Pats got their man earlier today in a deal that sent Mankins to Tampa Bay.
- Former second round pick Stephen Hill has been having trouble dropping the ball and Jets coach Rex Ryan isn’t giving him much of an endorsement, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “He’s had some strong moments, but there are others where we wish maybe he had hung on to a ball or so,” Ryan said. “But he’s had a pretty good training camp. I don’t want to say it’s been outstanding, but it’s been pretty good. “He’s blocked consistently, but he just hasn’t had a lot of shots at catching the ball. We’re still evaluating that receiving group, and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
- Free agent addition Earl Mitchell is already looking like a gem for the Dolphins, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. The defensive lineman signed a four-year deal with Miami early in free agency. Mitchell is smaller than the departed Paul Soliai, but he’s shown that he can be rather effective.