Tuesday, the guard to the for tight end . On Wednesday, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport gave Kevin Porter Jersey us a peek behind the curtain, detailing how the trade went down, according to sources involved in the deal. During the offseason the asked Mankins -- who was due to count $10.5 million against the team's cap in 2014 and $11 million in 2015 -- . The veteran refused (as we'd expect) and the Pats made him available. The Bucs, who have had a terrible time revamping their offensive line, originally began the dialogue by calling New England about a backup guard. During the discu sion, the in tight end Tim Wright. As talks progre sed, the asked the Bucs' bra s, "" per Rapoport.The Bucs had and experience with Mankins from player personnel director Jon Robinson and general manager Jason Licht, who both spent years with the . In the end Licht put a deal together to ship a tight end -- who could have gotten buried on the depth chart as the season went on -- and a fourth-round pick for a veteran offensive lineman he desperately needed. In return the got cap relief, a good move-tight end and a draft pick for a player called "one of the all-time great and the best guard I ever coached." As Rapoport pointed out, the Mankins trade is reminiscent of other moves the have made in the past -- including cutting safety Lawyer Milloy in 2003 . For the , it's always just busine s. The "" has takeaways Ron Francis Jersey
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