Veteran Buccaneers guard Logan Mankins admitted after the Buccaneers’ loss to the Panthers on Sunday that he may have played his final NFL game, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Mankins has yet to make a decision, but confirmed that he’s considering the possibility of calling it a career.
“I don’t know,” Mankins said. “I am at the point in my career where I’m going to take a little time and evaluate what I want to do with my family, with myself and my career and see where it goes.”
Asked if Sunday’s game would be his last as an NFL player, Mankins replied, “It could. It might not be. I don’t know yet. A wise guy always use to tell some of the teams I was on to never make a rushed decision after the season. Take a little time to think about it.”
If he does decide to retire, Mankins will finish his playing career with a pretty impressive NFL résumé. The former first-round pick, who turns 34 this March, earned six Pro Bowl berths and played in two Super Bowls, though he didn’t win one — he joined the Patriots the year after they won Super Bowl XXXIX, and then was traded to Tampa Bay prior to New England’s 2014 championship season.
Mankins has one year left on his current contract, so if he does decide to continue playing, the Buccaneers will have a decision of their own to make. The Fresno State alum is on the books for $7MM in 2016, but that entire amount is non-guaranteed.