“He is one of the all-time great Patriots and the best guard I ever coached.” Those were Bill Belichick’s thoughts on a player who had spent his first nine years as a Patriot serving as a consistent shield for Tom Brady. Logan Mankins was the heart and soul of the Patriots’ O-line during their entire Super Bowl drought (2005-2013). A six-time Pro Bowler and a six-time All-Pro played all of his 130 regular-season games and 17 postseason clashes. Whether it was a torn ACL or any other injury, Mankins never skipped his gridiron duties, even if his body needed rest. Still, in 2014, the Patriots, out of nowhere, traded their future Hall of Famer, leaving the whole Patriots Nation and Tom Brady baffled.

Apart from Mankins himself, if there was anyone more upset about this trade, it was Brady, because he was not only losing a great offensive teammate to a rival team, but also a close friend. “I love Logan. Logan was a great friend of mine. Nobody stood for Patriots football more than him,” Brady said after the Pats traded their trusted guard back in 2014. Only 32 at the time, the Pats shipped their premier guard to Tampa Bay in exchange for TE Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick.

While the move was met with backlash from many, it was a necessary decision for the Patriots at the time. After spending just two seasons with the Bucs, the 7-time Pro Bowler called it a career. Now, when he is on the verge of an ultimate NFL honor, the Pats legend has opened up about the trade and revealed his true emotions on the then-HC Bill Belichick and Brady.

See, Mankins’ trade was nothing but a tactical decision from the Pats. It was simply the economics behind Mankins’ contract that forced the Pats to make such a tough call. Mankins was entering the 4th year of a six-year, $51M extension signed in 2011. That season, he was set to count a $10.5M cap hit against the salary cap. With his trade, the Patriots saved $5.775 M. So, in an effort to save some money, the Patriots sacrificed their most reliable guard. To be honest, money wasn’t the only reason the Pats had to throw out their nine-year veteran guard.

New England was suffering a lot with their TE position because of Rob Gronkowski’s consistent injury problems. Prior to Mankins’ trade, Gronk had missed 14 games over the past two seasons. So, when the opportunity to get a 6-foot-4, 220-pound Wright came up, the Pats didn’t tether. And Mankins’ recent admission just goes on to prove that it was probably the right call from the Pats.

Considering everything that happened around the Mankins trade, the soon-to-be Patriots Hall of Famer finally chose to break his silence. He shared his true thoughts on being traded at the peak of his career. “Everyone knew what was going on. It was one of things…the business side of football..I have no ill will. I loved playing for Bill Belichick. I loved playing with Tom Brady..I had a great time, and I would do it all over again tomorrow,” Mankins revealed.

This will be the third straight year Mankins is a finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame. He doesn’t know whether his turn will ever come. But he is hella proud to be included every year. Mankins is a true Patriot at heart. If he wasn’t, then how could he have ever played with a torn ACL for a whole campaign?

Logan Mankins defied his body to play a whole season with a torn ACL

Mankins was in a contractual dispute with the Pats before the 2011 season. He had just been given a franchise tag worth only $10 M. But soon after, Mankins got a historic deal. At that time, he was the highest-paid guard in the whole NFL. So, there was a chip on his shoulder to prove his worth in the first year of his mammoth contract. However, in the first game of the season, Mankins tore his ACL on his right knee. Despite the pain, Mankins didn’t miss a single game. He was only rested for the season finale when the AFC East was already locked up. Got voted to the Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and even led the Patriots to Super Bowl XLVI.

After the season was over, Mankins revealed no one had a clue that he was playing through an ACL. It was something he kept private because of his grit and determination to keep on playing. “It didn’t bother me enough not to play. My job was to play football. If the coach wanted me to be out there. I’d be out there. I wasn’t getting paid to watch on the sidelines,” Mankins revealed. Later, it was found that Mankins’ ACL had only worsened in the playoffs.

In their postseason win over the Broncos, Mankins tore his medial collateral ligament in his left knee. This led him to play in the Super Bowl, which they lost to the Giants, despite having torn ligaments in each knee. Mankins’ toughness was always deeply rooted in him from childhood. His father used to tell him, “If you can go to work, you go to work. Just tape an aspirin to it and you’ll be all right.” Those words were Mankins’ mantra. He may have been unfortunate not to win a Super Bowl, but still, he did enough to go down as one of the greatest guards of all time.