Patriots owner Robert Kraft called contract talks with Brady

Right now, this is about principle with me and keeping your word and how you treat people," Mankins told ESPN.com. "This is what I thought the foundation of the Patriots was built on. Apparently, I was wrong. Growing up, I was taught a man's word is his bond. Obviously, this isn't the case with the Patriots."

So much for adhering to the company line.

Now, the two-time Pro Bowler's less-than-sunny disposition threatens to create a chasm in the offensive line.

This much is clear: As training camp nears, the Patriots aren't completely aligned.

"I want to be traded," Mankins said. "I don't need to be here any more."

He wasn't.

Like the voluntary organized team activities before it, Mankins proceeded to skip that mandatory June mini-camp, which given the fact he was and still is unsigned, wasn't mandatory for the 6-foot-4, 310-pounder at all.

Still, the sight of Mankins missing from the line was an adjustment. The Patriots' top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft hasn't missed a start in five seasons.

With Mankins missing in action, starting right tackle Nick Kaczur and reserve Dan Connolly took most of the reps at left guard at mini-camp, with 2009 second-round draft pick Sebastian Vollmer filling in at tackle on the right side when necessary.

Mankins reportedly declined a contract that would have paid him roughly $7 million per season through 2014. Given that, it's no surprise the restricted free agent also passed on the $3.26 million tender the Patriots had extended him, allowing the team to slash that offer to $1.54 million.

When happy (and healthy), the unit consists of two-time Pro Bowler Matt Light and Kaczur at tackle, Mankins and Stephen Neal at guard, with Dan Koppen the man in the middle, although Vollmer — who started at both tackle positions last season — appears on the verge of pushing someone aside. At 6-foot-8 and 315 pounds, Vollmer could bring more of a physical presence to the line.

While this unit allowed just 18 sacks in 2009 — a franchise-low over a 16-game schedule — and kept quarterback Tom Brady's jersey clean for a four-game stretch late in the season, this group has flaws.

On the whole, this unit would have to be considered more decent than dominant. Mankins and Koppen were the lone linemen to make it from start to finish at their positions last seasons, and now, as mentioned, the former may be missing when training camp starts in less than a week; it officially kicks off with a double session on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Thursday.

On that day, Brady didn't sound like a player who would consider a training camp holdout. Unless something has dramatically changed since then, and there are no tangible indications that is the case, Brady will be in his familiar spot next Thursday when the Patriots football jerseys open their 51st training camp: under center, leading the offense.

"I'm under contract, and I signed a six-year contract five years ago," Brady said on Jan. 25, reminding reporters that he is not the only player in this situation.

"There is a lot of uncertainty with the league, and being a player rep Jerod Mayo now, I realize all the different issues that we're facing. It's a really unique time in the league, and as a team player, I don't sit here saying, 'What about me, What about me?' I'm under contract, and I'm going to go out there and play and play my butt off."

Brady's reference to a "unique time in the league" hits at the heart of why a deal has not been reached between him and the Patriots, or between the Indianapolis Colts and star quarterback Peyton Manning, who is also in the last year of his contract.

In a Sirius NFL Radio interview in June, Patriots owner Robert Kraft called contract talks with Brady "complicated," a reference to the league's uncertain labor forecast and the brewing battle between owners and the NFL Players Association. In March, Kraft had expressed confidence that an agreement ultimately would be reached.

"Let's put it like this: Tom Brady is going to be part of this franchise. He wants to be; we want him," Kraft said at the time.

So with that on-the-record information as a backdrop, here is an all-encompassing look at where things stand with Brady and where they may be headed:

• Current state of negotiations: The sides have discussed a contract extension, on and off, during the past year. Talks are not active at this time, meaning that there is little momentum building toward Brady signing an extension before the start of training camp. Talks could resume at any point, assuming both sides remain willing to keep working toward a deal, which has been the case to date.

• Brady's current deal: Brady is in the final year of a six-year, $60 million extension that he signed in 2005. When Brady signed the extension, it made him one of the league's highest-paid players. Because the extension was front-loaded, Brady was scheduled to earn "only" a $3.5 million base salary in the final year, as well as a $3 million roster bonus, well below market value for a player of his caliber. (Manning, in contrast, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $15.8 million this year.) Because Brady had signed an extension in 2002 when he had two years remaining on his contract, and another extension in 2005 when he had two years remaining on his contract, his representatives probably viewed the possibility of Brady reaching the final year of his contract as unlikely. If there are any ill feelings from Brady or his representatives from the lack of an extension -- and that is all speculative because no one has spoken on the record -- it probably stems from that.

• Short-term fix a possibility? Given the dynamics in play, one potential solution to create goodwill as the process evolves is for the Patriots to take a similar approach as the Tennessee Titans did with running back Chris Johnson by sweetening Johnson's deal (by a reported $2 million this season). The Patriots jerseys could do the same for Brady in an uncapped season, but because a contract can't be adjusted more than once per season, it would restrict the ability to strike a longer extension until after the 2010 league year ends.

• Collective bargaining agreement: With no collective bargaining agreement in place for 2011, and Wes Welker no certainty that there will be football next season, it creates a hurdle to consummating a deal. It's not insurmountable -- as recent big-money contract extensions for other players around the NFL have proved -- but it is the same obstacle affecting talks between the Colts and Manning. "We've been going slowly [as] we're trying to formulate some things that will fit no matter what the [new] system is," Colts president Bill Polian told sports radio WEEI on a recent trip to Boston. "We can't get into the nitty-gritty because we don't know what the rules will be. It's not like you're going to get [a new collective bargaining agreement] in October, I don't think. If that happens, it would be great. But at least you can get a feel for the way things are going."